Former AEW Star Mariah May Makes NXT Debut: Name Change Update

It's unclear what WWE plans to call her, but she did post on her own social account -- one that hasn't seen her change her name -- "honey i’m home @WWE@WWENXT" She also said on the show, "And ladies, you can call me the next NXT Women’s Champion.” This was either a clue that her name is going to be revealed down the line, or WWE hasn't decided on one yet.

The company did a very similar thing with Ricky Starks when he debuted. There was no mention of his name, only a comment that the fans all "knew who he was." It took some time and a contract signing before NXT revealed his name had been changed to Ricky Saints. Not everyone loved the change at first, but it has now grown on fans. The hope is that Mariah May's name, whatever it ultimately becomes, will immediately capture the attention of the WWE Universe in a positive way.

They hyped up the word "glamorous", so the hint might be that it could be part of her new moniker.

Congratulations to Mariah May For Finally Getting To WWE

As Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful pointed out, it's been a wild ride for May, who started as a fan, earned a WWE tryout early on, but didn't get signed. May didn't quit; she wound up improving her skills all over the world, including in Japan, and ultimately got signed by AEW. She was quickly thrust into a main-event storyline with Toni Storm that allowed her to go on a run as the Women's World Champion.

Sapp also reports that the talent in the ring during her debut segment found out just before going to the ring that Mariah May would be appearing.

As her time there was winding down, she made it clear that her goal was to get to WWE. When her contract with AEW expired, she jumped ship, joining the company that she'd always wanted to be a part of. It appears NXT is going to push her heavily, so the work has paid off.