During a November edition of WWE SmackDown, NXT star Von Wagner was used as the bodyguard for on-screen authority figure Adam Pearce. He only appeared for one episode and was sent back to NXT.
This was when WWE was still using Wagner in NXT as part of a tag team with Kyle O’Reilly. At the time, it was reported that Vince McMahon felt that Pearce needed a bodyguard.
RingsideNews reported today they were told by one tenured member of the creative team the reason why Wagner didn’t stay in this role was simply due to the WWE Chairman not liking it. Thus, the angle was dropped after that.
Since that time, Wagner turned heel by attacking Kyle O’Reilly on the post-WarGames episode of NXT following their steel cage match as a way to write O’Reilly off television as his contract expired and he later went to AEW.
