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Killian Dain on Sanity Breakup, NXT Star's New Name, Ryback Rips WWE in Roundup

Joseph Zucker

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. 

       

Killian Dain Reacts to Apparent Sanity Breakup

Unlike other stars, Eric Young wasn't formally announced as one of the wrestlers making the move from SmackDown Live to Raw. But WWE included him in a graphic noting those who were part of the Superstar Shake-up so far.

That left fans to believe Sanity was no more with its leader on a different show. Team member Killian Dain commented on the move.

While an effective trio in NXT, Sanity got lost in the shuffle following its move to the main roster. Perhaps separating the three—or at least splitting Dain and Alexander Wolfe into a tag team—could benefit all parties involved.

       

Punishment Martinez Receives Rebrand

WWE raised eyebrows when it called up The War Raiders to Raw on Monday and gave them a completely new name. They're now The Viking Experience, Ivar and Erik. Thankfully for Punishment Martinez, his name change wasn't quite so drastic.

In a piece by SportsBusiness Journal's David Bourne, (h/t Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet), Martinez was identified as Damien Priest and singled out as one of the stars to watch in NXT. Bourne wrote the new gimmick is "even darker" than the persona fans had come to associate with him.

In his first televised match for NXT, Priest looked good in a losing effort against Matt Riddle, with the bout airing on the Dec. 5 edition of the weekly show.

        

Ryback Criticizes Structural Problems in WWE

John Oliver brought attention to a number of issues that have gone unaddressed by WWE over the years with his segment on Last Week Tonight. Most specifically, he targeted the company's lack of a health care plan for its wrestlers.

Former WWE star Ryback made similar complaints on Twitter Tuesday as WWE promoted the Superstar Shake-up on SmackDown Live.

Ryback first appeared on WWE programming when he appeared on Tough Enough in 2004. He slowly worked his way up through the company's developmental system and was part of NXT's first season in 2010. He remained with WWE until his official release in August 2016.

   

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