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Former NXT Superstar Tino Sabbatelli has commented on whether he will return to WWE for the third time.
He initially signed with the company in 2014 and was released in April 2020 along with multiple other stars due to budget cuts. He competed in one match in AEW before re-signing with WWE in October 2020. He was let go by the company once again in June last year.
During his recent appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Sabbatelli stated that it's unlikely that he'll return to WWE due to his age. However, the 38-year-old star said he'd consider returning to the company if he were to meet up with Vince McMahon.
“The sad thing is, what I heard about the age thing is I say no. Personally, I think if Vince saw me face-to-face then I hope so. But if I saw Vince face-to-face, I don’t know what I would say. This is just my opinion of being in the business for 5 or 6 years, I want to say this right. Personally, I think that the character of Tino was a huge dropped opportunity for WWE... But they amped me up and never gave me a shot? If they gave me a shot and then I failed then, 'OK, thank you,' but I never got that or anything, and that’s what still beats me up."
Before joining WWE, Tino Sabbatelli played in the NFL for six years as a free safety. He has played with Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, and Kansas City Chiefs.
Tino Sabbatelli on the one match he had in AEW
On the July 21, 2020, episode of AEW Dark, Tino made his debut for the promotion under the moniker Sabby. He competed in a tag team match against Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta), which he lost.
During the same interview, Sabbatelli spoke about the bout and working for AEW.
“So then AEW comes into play, AEW calls me. Billy Gunn calls me and says ‘Sabby, show up to Jacksonville.’ They don’t tell me anything, I show up and I see my name on the board... So I had this match on AEW Dark, it was a tag team match, but they didn’t tell me anything. They didn’t offer me anything, it was a vague trip."
Tino Sabbatelli is yet to compete in a match since the AEW Dark episode. Apart from pro wrestling, he is currently in a relationship with the current NXT Women's Champion, Mandy Rose.
