Devon Nicholson Talks WWE Uninviting Him For NXT Tryout This Year, Top Legends Endorsing Him To WWE
Hannibal TV recently sat down with Devon "Hannibal" Nicholson to discuss why WWE continued to pull the rug on his numerous shots at an NXT tryout. You can check out some highlights here:
What happened on his tryout for a tryout with NXT in 2014:
"It was a tryout to get a tryout in NXT, and it was Gerald Brisco and Jim Ross that were scouting that tryout on behalf of the WWE. And they told me out of that tryout, that they were going to recommend me to WWE. Particularly Gerald Brisco told me this, and he told me I'd be hearing back that September if I was accepted or not. But he personally was gonna put me through for an NXT tryout. I never heard back, and yeah that was — the year after that, that was July 2014. August 2015 Ric Flair attended a Harley Race camp that I was at, and he was attending for a day on behalf of the WWE. I did that tryout, I was in one of two matches. There was only two matches. And he said at the end of that seminar that he was gonna recommend four people to the WWE, and I spoke to him that night at the event Harley Race put on. And I asked him just his advice, and he told me in that conversation that I was gonna be one of the four people he was gonna recommend, but again I never heard anything back. So unfortunately nothing came out of those recommendations."
What happened with his other tryout this year in 2016:
"I was supposed to have a tryout, actually in NXT, paid travel and everything. What happened there was Billy Graham, he's back under a legend's contract now. And he's been telling me all along to stay pushing at WWE, and he got me Gerald Brisco's cell phone number, and of course as I just mentioned Gerald Brisco told me he was gonna recommend me for a tryout in 2014. So Billy said 'just call him up and asked whatever happened with that tryout and offer to send him something new to see if you can get another tryout.' And I called him up and reminded him of who I was, sent him some new material, and he said he was gonna recommend me for this tryout this past May 2016. I sent him my medical papers and everything, and was later told that I was accepted into the NXT tryouts, was given my itinerary and everything for the tryout.
"Just over a week before the tryout I received an e-mail on a Sunday night from WWE Talent Relations indicating to me that, they're sorry for the confusion but I'm no longer invited to the tryout. I received no information other than that on why I was no longer invited after already being accepted into the tryout. And I recently saw Gerald Brisco again in person just last month, and I asked him what happened. He said all he does is give the recommendations, and he said that he was actually happy when he found out that I was in the tryout, and he has no idea why it was recent — not even recent, I was just un-invited I guess is the word. So he doesn't know, and he says he feels for me on that one. And I believe him, he has no reason to lie to me.
"Only the WWE office knows, whoever made that decision, someone higher up in the rankings. And Gerald Brisco who coincidentally, we were just talking about Brock Lesnar, he was the one who discovered Brock Lesnar. So the guy that — first of all when I was originally hired Pat Patterson was the main person out of the tryout camp that I was hired from that recommended me. He's a very well respected agent in WWE, then I had Gerald Brisco recommend me. And those guys can't help me get in, plus Billy Graham also gave a recommendation to me. Those are some pretty top people in the wrestling business. Supposedly Ric Flair, unless he's lying to me which of course why would he? I'm nobody to him. He supposedly recommended me too, I don't know how much better recommendations you can get than those."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Hannibal TV with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.