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Former WWE Superstar Tino Sabbatelli recently revealed his Mount Rushmore of NXT performers.
Sabbatelli was a part of the former black and gold brand for nearly six years. He joined the promotion in 2014 and mostly competed in non-televised house show matches. His first stint with WWE ended in 2020.
Speaking to Dr. Chris Featherstone on the latest episode of Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted, Sabbatelli named the former NXT stars he believes are the biggest icons of the brand. The former superstar mentioned Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, current AEW tag team FTR (fka The Revival), Samoa Joe, Ciampa and Johnny Gargano as his Mount Rushmore of NXT.
"I think The Revival [FTR],'' said Sabbatelli. "Probably Finn Balor. Shinsuke Nakamura, in his short run there, he was unbelievable obviously. Samoa Joe in NXT for a little while. You got to put, you got to put Ciampa and Johnny Wrestling in there man. I mean, you have to. Those guys, what they did for NXT, I feel like they put on some incredible matches. Watching their love and their passion for the sport, really take pride in their matches, that was something special to watch. That's probably my Mount Rushmore." (from 14:04 to 14:48)
Tino Sabbatelli is currently in a relationship with WWE NXT star Mandy Rose
Although Tino Sabbatelli is no longer a part of WWE, he still has a few friends in the promotion. The former NFL star is also dating current NXT Women's Champion Mandy Rose.
Sabbatelli also discussed his relationship with Rose and her success on the NXT 2.0 brand in the same interview. Here's what he had to say:
"Oh, she is amazing, man! She is one of the most humble, down-to-earth, caring, good-soul women," stated Tino Sabbatelli. "You know she is just an amazing person. She does a great job of playing her character, I would say, but that's not Mandy Rose. That's not who she is as a person. I'm extremely grateful and blessed; you know, she makes me better in every single way. There are not enough good words I can say about her, but she is amazing," Sabbatelli continued. [21:20 – 21:51]
Tino Sabbatelli has also appeared on an episode of AEW Dark, under the ring name "Sabby." He teamed up with Brady Pierce in a losing effort against Best Friends. However, his time with AEW was brief, and he re-signed with WWE in October 2020, only to be released again in June the following year.
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