Ex-NXT Champion Says Impact Wrestling and ROH Made Offers Ahead of WWE Deal

Former NXT Tag Team Champion Danny Burch, who now wrestles under the name Martin Stone, recently spoke about the various paths his career could have taken before signing full-time with WWE in 2018.

While speaking with Bobby Fish on his Undisputed Podcast, Stone revealed that he had received interest from top promotions IMPACT and ROH while he was under a part-time deal with WWE from 2015-2017.

Stone had started to put feelers out to IMPACT and ROH as he hadn’t heard anything about his contract with WWE, which was set to expire in March. He received a text from a guy named Paul, who congratulated him on his contract and said they would be sending him all the details soon. Stone initially thought it was just going to be a renewal of his part-time deal, but then received a phone call from Canyon Ceman, who told him that they wanted to bring him back full-time.

Stone was ecstatic about the news and called his mother to share the good news. He would go on to be with WWE until January 2022, when he was released from his contract, just months following his partner Oney Lorcan’s release in November 2021.

“And at that point in time (when I was under a part-time deal with WWE), I was able to quit work because it was the first time I’d really been able to be an independent wrestler because of what I was earning so it was a nice break from that so I got to be home a lot more on the weekends.I was at home with my wife and my step-daughter so, it was really great.

“Then that contract was coming up to a head on, I think it was March and I hadn’t heard anything so I was like, they’re just gonna let this run through and they’ll be like, great, thank you for your time. We’ll be in touch. That’s the conversation I thought I was gonna get.

“So anyway, I get a text that morning from — it was a guy called Paul. I can’t remember his last name but I think he was just working with Canyon (Ceman) then he goes, ‘Oh! Congrats on your contract. We’ll be sending all the details to you in like the next day or so.’

“In my head, I thought they’re just gonna renew this one. Because I had started to put the feelers out there to Ring of Honor and IMPACT and there was some interest there.

“So then I was like, oh, well they’re just gonna renew this for another six months. Oh, okay, well whatever, anyway. So then I get a phone call like 20 minutes later and Canyon’s like, ‘I’m so sorry. He’s completely spoiled the surprise. This is Hunter’s call. We wanna bring you back full-time.’

“So I was just like, oh! Sh*t, okay and he was like, yep, blah, blah, blah. ‘We’ll see you WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans,’ which was that weekend. So I got that call on a Monday or a Tuesday. I’m not gonna coat this one but literally, I got off the phone and cried, because I couldn’t believe I’d done it.

“I called my mom at home and she just lost her sh*t. I just couldn’t believe I got back and I couldn’t believe it but I got back at the most exciting time during NXT. This is when it was really NXT.”

Stone’s return to WWE as a full-time wrestler came at the most exciting time for NXT, and he was able to showcase his skills and become a Tag Team Champion with Oney Lorcan. While his time with WWE may have come to an end, Stone’s career is far from over.

Stone continues to wrestle on the independent scene, and his journey serves as a reminder that with hard work, determination, and a bit of luck, anything is possible in the world of professional wrestling.

What do you think about Martin Stone’s journey in professional wrestling and his return to WWE as a full-time wrestler at the most exciting time for NXT? Leave a comment.