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AEW is set to officially introduce a new star to their television roster with the inclusion of 18-year-old Nick Wayne. The company revealed the news on the latest episode of Dynamite.
Wayne, the son of the late, former WWE Superstar Buddy Wayne, was offered a deal with AEW in February last year when he was only 16 years old. The contract was presented to him by Darby Allin, who shares a deep connection with the Wayne family as he was trained by Buddy before his untimely passing.
Nick Wayne has spent much of his career rubbing shoulders with some of wrestling's elite talents and has become a mainstay of the DEFY promotion. He has stepped into the ring with seasoned veterans like Swerve Strickland, El Phantasmo, and Will Ospreay, and has held his own in each of these encounters.
So, it comes as no surprise that AEW is putting in the time and effort to hype up their new rising star. A video package aired on the most recent edition of Dynamite highlighting Wayne's unique talent, and relationship with Darby Allin and the wrestling business.
The video package ended with an ominous "To Be Continued..." trope. It indicated that it may just be a matter of time before the Seattle native makes his way onto AEW programming.
Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy defeat former AEW Tag Team Champions
Elsewhere on the show, Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy teamed up in the first round of the Blind Eliminator Tournament to determine the new number-one contenders for the Tag Team Championships. However, they would have to get through a former titleholding team to advance to the next round.
They came up against Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee, collectively known as Swerve in Our Glory. The former Tag Team Champions-turned-bitter rivals could not get on the same page and were constantly getting in each other's way. This resulted in the team of Allin and Cassidy picking up the win.
The oddball duo of Allin and Cassidy seem to be in good stead in their pursuit of a tournament victory. The two fan favorites are riding a wave of momentum at the moment that might just lead them all the way to a match with FTR at some point down the line.
