The women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic kicks off tonight on NXT, and WWE has published the bracket online. While the tournament is filled with established names like Ember Moon, Mercedes Martinez, and Candice LeRae, the names Zoey Stark, Cora Jade, and Gigi Dolin stand out due to the unfamiliarity. These names are unknown because all were previously indie wrestlers who WWE have just announced on Twitter have signed with the company and will be part of the tournament under their new names. The three were formerly known as Lacey Ryan, Elayna Black, and Priscilla Kelly, respectively.
Lacey Ryan began wrestling in 2013 and competed for Impact Wrestling in 2019 against Taya Valkyrie, and then made two further in-ring appearances in 2020. Elayna Black debuted in 2018 and competed for Impact in 2019, and has twice wrestled on AEW Dark. One was as short singles defeat to Red Velvet, and the other came as part of a tag match when she teamed with Leyla Hirsch. The biggest name of the three is Priscilla Kelly, the ex-wife of AEW star Darby Allin. She began wrestling in 2015, and her most high-profile match took place on the episode of Dynamite taped on Chris Jericho’s cruise, losing to Dr. Britt Baker. AEW had wanted to bring her into work alongside Allin before they divorced, but she didn’t want to play second fiddle to him and preferred to make her own name. Previously she wrestled for WWE as part of the Mae Young Classic in 2018 in a losing effort to Deonna Purrazzo.
Looking at the draw for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, it appears none of the three will advance beyond the first round as Stark (Lacey Ryan) is teaming with Roderick Strong’s wife Marina Shafir against Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon. With Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) and Jade (Elayna Black) taking on LeRae and Indi Hartwell. However, this is just the beginning of their WWE adventure.
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