In a move that proves two months is more than enough time to go from “rookie” to “target,” Ricky Saints is officially set for his first WWE title match. The newcomer will challenge Shawn Spears for the NXT North American Championship on April 1, which feels appropriate, since someone’s bound to get made a fool.
The drama kicked off during a civilized sit-down interview between Saints and Vic Joseph that lasted roughly 12 seconds before Shawn Spears waltzed in like a dramatic ex at brunch. Instead of throwing drinks, he offered Saints a spot in his angsty new gang, The Culling—which sounds like a metal band and/or a late-stage CrossFit cult. Members include Brooks Jensen, Niko Vance, and Izzi Dame, who are all now proudly contractually obligated to look menacing while standing behind Spears at all times.
Spears dropped a jab, saying Saints was “sadly, still the same guy [he] left over a year ago,” which is code for “you haven’t joined my sad boy faction, and I’m bitter about it.” Saints, clearly uninterested in joining the trench coat mafia, rejected the offer and challenged Spears instead.
Spears did what any mature champion would do: walked away… then circled back later to crack Saints in the face with the championship belt during commentary. The Culling flanked him, making sure the belt shot had maximum ambiance. This, folks, is sports entertainment courtship.
To make it official, commentary confirmed the title match while Ethan Page, who had just finished beating up Andre Chase, watched from ringside like a guy who just realized the love triangle now has a fourth side. Page, of course, still has beef with Saints after losing to him, and judging by the tension in that segment, he might just pull a little April 1st chaos himself.
So: Spears has the title. Saints has the momentum. Page has… unresolved issues. And The Culling? Still auditioning for an HBO spinoff called Broodier Things.