WWE has reintroduced a number of its stars to fans with new names attached, and the latest example was revealed during tonight’s episode of NXT. During the episode, a video was shown of former WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin driving a car down the road, and after a wink to the camera, it was revealed that Devlin is now going by the name JD McDonagh. The video also stated that he will be coming back over to NXT full-time after another run with NXT UK, and you can view the video tease for yourself in the post below.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Accompanying the post was a caption that reads “Never bet against an ace. JD McDonagh…coming soon! #WWENXT.” The ace in that tease combined with the car and sleeker makeover suggests McDonagh will debut with a completely brand new gimmick alongside his new name when he does make his NXT return, so perhaps he’s a pilot or a race car driver?
McDonagh joins fellow NXT UK alum Kay Lee Ray in the new name club, as she was reintroduced with the name Alba Fyre. With Fyre they didn’t start completely from scratch though, introducing this as a new side to her (or the one she’s wanted to show finally unleashed). They took a similar approach to Katana Chance (formerly Kacy Catanzaro), so perhaps a similar approach will be used for McDonagh.
WWE has made a number of name changes over the past few months. Pete Dunne got a completely new origin and makeover to go with his new name Butch, and while fans were quite confused at first, he has managed to get over with the character and name on SmackDown. The former Raquel Gonzalez was renamed Raquel Rodriguez, but in her case videos were shown of her time in NXT and that was used to build up her current run on SmackDown.
The former LA Knight has since been reintroduced on SmackDown as Max Dupri, and this was a total reinvention of the character. In fact, he isn’t even in the ring at this point, as the leader and agent of a new stable, but we haven’t actually been introduced to any of his clients yet.
It will be fun to have McDonagh in the mix again, and hopefully, we’ll get more information on his upcoming reintroduction soon. There was no date attached to his return, but with Great American Bash right around the corner, perhaps he will make his big return at some point during the event.
What do you think of Devlin’s new name? Let us know in the comments!
