Ex WWE NXT Superstar Wrestles In Dark Match During AEW Collision Taping

AEW has seen quite a few former WWE Superstars make their way to the company. Now, we can add one more to the list, but he didn’t debut on television yet.

All Elite Wrestling hosted a live Collision episode preceding the recording of ROH Television taping on Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center in State College, PA, and featured a notable name in a dark match.

During the event, Powerhouse Hobbs defeated Victor Benjamin, The Gunn Club emerged victorious against The Outrunners, and EJ Nduka, a former MLW Tag Team Champion, participated in dark matches. That marked Nduka’s in-ring debut for the company.

EJ Nduka, who is 6-foot-5 and a former college football player and bodybuilder, was previously known as Ezra Judge in WWE NXT. He was then released as part of WWE’s many mass cuts during the pandemic. Following his WWE release, he revitalized his wrestling career and took his talents to MLW.

Nduka’s match before the Collision episode marked his first since an AEW Dark match on January 28th, where he faced Konosuke Takeshita. After that match, AEW offered him a full-time contract, despite receiving interest from various companies, including WWE and Japanese promotions. His MLW contract expired in January, and he concluded his tenure with the promotion at the Blood & Thunder TV tapings in Philadelphia, PA, on February 4th.

In the dark match, Nduka secured a victory against Deonna Russman. We will have to see what’s next for him in AEW, but Tony Khan could have another big man on his hands with WWE experience under his belt.

What’s your take on AEW snagging another former WWE NXT Superstar? Sound off in the comments to let us know what you think!