Two of WWE’s most recent signings have been working the NXT Live Event circuits the past few months and while indie mouthpiece and super manager Stokely Hathaway (now known as Court Moore) is known as a managerial advocate type, former IMPACT Wrestling star Robbie E. (now going simply as Robert Strauss), was always known more as a wrestler. But now both have found roles as agent-types in the NXT locker room, each looking to assemble a clientele list of the best up-and-coming stars on the NXT Live Event circuit and in the locker rooms, in a frenzied pace that is akin to the old days of WWF in the 1980s, when the likes of Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji or Slick were jockeying each other for wrestlers’ services. Here’s a look at each agent’s current list of clients who are building chemistry and pedigree on the NXT Live Event circuit.
Brand Awareness: Two New NXT Superstars Begin To Build Their Clientele List
ROBBIE STRAUSS
Formerly known as Robbie E with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling, Strauss joined the WWE in March of this year, following an 18-year career in the indie circuit. A student of Kevin Knight, Robbie debuted in 2000 in the New York/New Jersey scene, working for the likes of Independent Wrestling Federation (IWF), New York Wrestling Connection (NYWC), Jersey Championship Wrestling (JCW, now Game Changer Wrestling), and more, before joining TNA in 2010. A 2x IMPACT Tag Team Champion in the BroMans with Jessie Godderz and former IMPACT X-Division and TNA Television Champion, Strauss left IMPACT in 2017 and returned to the indies before heading to Orlando this spring.
Rinku Singh & Saurav Gurjar
Strauss’ first tag team, the impressive pairing of two Indian Superstars arrived in March shortly after Strauss was announced at the PC. Rinku Singh was a former highly touted baseball prospect, a rags to riches story that was documented in the Walt Disney film, The Million Dollar Arm. In 2008, he tried out for 20 Major League Baseball teams, impressing with a 92 mph fastball, joining the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2009. A broken elbow in 2015 slowed down his minor league development, and in 2018 he changed career direction and signed with the WWE in January. Saurav Gurjar is a former Indian television star who debuted in pro wrestling with IMPACT Wrestling’s Ring Ka King promotion in 2011 as Deadly Danda. Like Singh, Gurjar joined the WWE PC in January of 2018 and has been training and working the Live Events since.
Riddick Moss & Dan Matha
Riddick Moss was Strauss’ first singles client and for the past two months, Strauss and “Riddy Mo” have been working NXT Live Events together. A former collegiate football player with the University of Minnesota, he signed with WWE in early 2014 after a late 2013 Tryout. He was initially paired with Angelo Dawkins (now in The Street Profits) as Shoot Nation, but the pairing was short lived. In 2016, he formed a team with Tino Sabbatelli and after a small push for a couple of years, the team was disbanded as well. Just this past week, Moss was joined by Strauss’ latest acquisition, Dan Matha, joined Moss in a new unit under Robert’s guidance, and so far have looked impressive. Dan Matha is another former collegiate star from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, who was briefly signed to the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes. The 6’7″ Matha signed with WWE in late 2015 and has been working and training on the NXT Live Event circuit for years now, even making his WWE debut at The Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia last year.
Luke Menzies
A British brawler, Luke Menzies is another new client in Strauss’ stable. A former professional rugby player from West Yorkshire, England, he turned to professional wrestling in 2016, training under Marty Jones, the former mentor of William Regal. He worked the UK indies, with the likes of Defiant Wrestling, 3 Count Wrestling (3CW), Southside Wrestling Entertainment (SWE), Riptide, and others, before signing with WWE in May of 2018. He’s been working the NXT Live Events since July of last year.
Daniel Vidot
Another former professional rugby player who recently found Strauss’ services, Australia’s Daniel Vidot retired from professional rugby in Australia in 2017 to concentrate on an emerging pro wrestling career. He joined WWE in the same class of May 2018 and has been working the Live Events circuit since last year.
Samuel Shaw
Another recent signing, Samuel Shaw has been an indie wrestler since 2007, when he started with former WWE and WCW Superstar Curtis Hughes at the WWA4 Wrestling School. He worked his way through the Florida indie circuit of the late 2000s, before signing with TNA/IMPACT Wrestling in 2012, where he remained until 2015. He returned to the Florida indies in 2016, where he continued to work, including appearances for the recently re-established National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). He joined WWE as part of this past February’s PC class.
COURT MOORE
A product of the Ring of Honor Dojo, Court Moore made his debut as Stokely Hathaway in 2014 and it became apparent quickly that he had the gift of gab. Soon he was acting as a mouthpiece for many ROH stars. He departed ROH in 2015 and headed to CHIKARA, where his comedic presence flourished, before joining EVOLVE in 2016 and Beyond Wrestling in 2017. He also made appearances with Major League Wrestling (MLW) starting in 2017, before he surprisingly joined the WWE Performance Center in March, as part of the same PC class as Strauss. So far he only has two official clients, but he’s been making friendly with the likes of Keith Lee, ACH, and others of late. CM is always looking to “court more” top stars for his portfolio.
Babatunde
Standing at 6’10” and weighing 355 lbs, Poland’s Babatunde Aiyegbusi is a former pro football player with the Polish American Football League and German Football League. Following a lengthy career in Europe, he came to the US to try out with the NFL, signing with the Minnesota Vikings in 2015. He played in three pre-season games before being cut and decided to change his career path and enter professional wrestling. He joined WWE as part of the April 2016 class of new recruits and got his big break in early 2018 when he began to work as Lio Rush’s bodyguard on the NXT Live Event circuit. He also debuted with WWE in Saudi Arabia at The Greatest Royal Rumble, but returned to singles action when Rush was called up to 205 Live. Now backed by Court Moore as his agent, the skies the limit for this massive human specimen.
Jonah Rock
While he’s currently performing under his real name Jermaine Haley, many international fans will recognize this bruiser as Australian indie superstar Jonah Rock. A former 3x Wrestle Rampage Heavyweight Champion, Pro Wrestling Australia Black Label (PWA) Heavyweight Champion, and Melbourne City Wrestling (MCW) Heavyweight Champion, Rock was also part of the Aussie supergroup The Mighty Don’t Kneel, which included the tag team of the same name that featured current NXT Superstar Shane Thorne and former NXT star Nick Miller (who has since returned to the indies and NJPW as Mikey Nicholls). One of the top international indie stars of the past few years, Rock joined WWE this January in the first class of 2019 at the PC.
https://twitter.com/StokelyHathaway/status/1118908126705651713
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