WWE Considered Showcasing More TNA Talents At NXT Battleground

Beyond Jordynne Grace and Ash By Elegance, TNA Wrestling had a deeper presence at WWE NXT Battleground as TNA President Anthony Cicione, SVP of Content Ariel Shnerer, key backstage figure Gail Kim, and Grace's husband Jonathan Gresham were in attendance at the UFC Apex. 

According to Fightful Select, WWE briefly considered showing the likes of Kim and Gresham during the live broadcast of Battleground but ultimately opted not to.

Jordynne Grace has since revealed to Fightful that she didn't know Gail Kim was going to be at Battleground until the day before the show. 

"Gail, I didn't know she was coming until the day before. I just didn't know how she felt about it. I told her that I wanted her to come, but I understand if she couldn't or didn't feel comfortable. I'm really glad she was able to come and support me. That was really special to me. She probably put a lot of personal feelings aside to be there to see me. The IMPACT executives, Anthony and Ariel, actually flew in and out the same day. It was really cool. I'm grateful to have that kind of support," Grace said.

"I don't think she knew that someone had taken a picture of her and posted it. I don't know if she wanted to be seen or not. I don't think she wanted to be seen on camera at all, but fans are fans. I saw a lot of memes about her. I was sending them to her, and she was kind of cracking up."

The crossover between WWE NXT and TNA is expected to continue following Battleground, with Jordynne Grace set to hold an open challenge for the TNA Knockouts World Title at Against All Odds on June 14. NXT are expected to have a presence at Slammiversary too and there is reportedly interest from NXT talents in working with the likes of Joe Hendry, Leon Slater, and Josh Alexander.