Toni Storm Among NXT Talents Working WWE SmackDown Dark Matches
More talents getting a look
Jul 3, 2021
Toni Storm becomes the latest NXT standout to wrestle a dark match at a main roster TV taping, working tonight's SmackDown card at the Performance Center in Tampa.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider listed three dark matches for tonight's card involving NXT talents, which were Storm vs. Shotzi Blackheart, Karrion Kross vs. Cesaro, and Odyssey Jones vs. Robert Roode.
Storm hasn't wrestled for NXT since May 18, when she defeated Zoey Stark on that week's broadcast. She has some prior main roster experience, wrestling in the last two women's Royal Rumble matches, and she also competed at the 2019 Survivor Series.
Blackheart worked last week's SmackDown taping, defeating Scarlett in a dark match.
NXT champion Kross has wrestled several matches at recent WWE tapings, including SmackDown dark matches with Dolph Ziggler and Slapjack. He also defeated Shelton Benjamin in a match taped for Main Event.
Jones formerly wrestled under real name Omari Palmer, and has been signed with WWE since 2019. The former Syracuse football player last wrestled at an NXT live event in March 2020. He has yet to have any sort of televised match in the company.
