Nikkita Lyons Comments On Her Split Leg Pin Fall Finisher Going Viral
NXT Superstar Nikkita Lyons joined the Out of Character podcast to talk about her current success on the 2.0 brand and how quickly her rise to being a major star has gone. The 22-year-old also spoke about her unique style and split-pinfall that she uses as well as the reaction she received when she first used the maneuver.
"I was very surprised honestly," Lyons said when hearing the buzz surrounding the move. "I thought maybe a little buzz but I was not expecting World Star, I was not expecting that reaction. I was blown away because it's funny that it really was that pin that went viral. My finisher is the Tornado Kick, I did the split pin and it's funny because I told the coaches 'I just want to try this. I don't know, it might work, it might get over, I don't know.' And it did and I was extremely surprised."
Continuing to touch on the buzz she's received, Nikkita noted that Drake followed her on Instagram. The NXT talent said she initially had no idea Drake was following her but would love to collaborate with him in the future on a music project.
"I actually had a friend of mine DM me and he was like 'Hey, Drake followed you, that's cool,' and I was like what?" Lyons said. "I didn't even know until my friend told me and I was like oh my gosh, when did this happen? I didn't even know because I had been following him as an artist for the longest time and being an artist, every song that he touches is a banger. My goal as a female artist as well is also to do that. I feel like that was a manifestation almost, it felt like being a step closer to that possibly happening if that makes sense."
On this past week's episode of NXT 2.0, Nikkita Lyons defeated Arianna Grace in the first round of the NXT Women's Breakout Tournament with her signature pin, setting up her match against Fallon Henley in the semi-finals. Speaking of her unique pin, Nikkita revealed that she had a name for the move but after it was pitched to the "higher-ups" in WWE, it was rejected.
"I don't know if I can say it out loud," Lyons said. "I don't know if I should because I pitched it and they loved it and then they asked the higher [ups] and they were like probably not. I'm actually in the process of trying to figure out something catchy but also something that people would love saying and something that could become a shirt. So I'm in that process."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Out of Character with Ryan Satin with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.