WWE’s Returning NXT Star Reportedly Getting Name Change

Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT featured another teaser for the returning Dominik Dijakovic, formerly known on Monday Night Raw as T-Bar, but that wasn’t the only news surrounding the returning star. Earlier in the day, a report from PWInsider stated that Dijakovic is internally listed as Donovan Dijak, a name he used while he was working the independents and in Ring of Honor. Dijak looks to be returning sometime in the next few weeks, as he’s received teaser videos at Halloween Havoc and in the episodes since, and the burning T-Bar mask implies that the Retribution character is officially gone. The name Donovan Dijak is a bit shorter than Dominik Dijakovic, and Dijak is an easy name to have featured on merch, so hopefully, this all leads to a stellar relaunch for the former NXT star.

On the recent press call after Halloween Havoc, Shawn Michaels was asked about the big teaser video Dijak received during the event, and Michaels revealed they were excited to bring him back to NXT and did hear all of the criticisms of his initial character transformation.

“Excited! So that’s a, that’s one of the things…it’s not like we don’t see what goes on out there in the social media world and the shaking of the fist at different things that were done with different characters over the years,” Michaels said. “And we do what we can here creatively to kind of nudge nudge wink wink, we see you and we hear you. I would love to be able to take credit for that but I’ve got a pretty good head writer here that comes up with some pretty snazzy stuff in Johnny Russo. Gonna put you over here Johnny! But look that was just something he mentioned, just a quick tease and I thought that’s fantastic.”

“I mean I guess we’ve already given a bunch away but, when you get a talent that 1 is very talented, and we felt like was just coming into his own in NXT prior, and then from our perspective, again the pandemic happened and there were a lot of quick changes and we lost a lot of people,” Michaels said. “And then over time they found out ‘okay well, we’re not maybe sure how we’re going to finish the story they’re in. And anytime they are willing to allow us to have the opportunity to have them back, we look at it, and I don’t mean it in a bad way, but we find that as like a fun new toy.”

“I mean to take guys with that much talent, and I think one of the things that we certainly try to do here or certainly try to do as much in the future, is try and not to insult the fans and not pretend like somebody wasn’t who they were a short time ago,” Michaels said. “But just sort of connect the dots. Get you thinking, teasing it, and making you feel like what’s going to happen, and then obviously down the road we surprise you and you think that it’s cool when it works.”

Are you excited for the return of Dominik Dijakovic? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things wrestling with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!

H/T Wrestling News