Welcome to a new weekly column here on 24 Wrestling: We Need To Talk About. Each week I’ll be looking at a different aspect of the wrestling industry and current products…specifically areas which are fairly unbelievable. For the first week I’ll be asking what on earth happened to SAnitY.
The Background
During the April 15th episode of Monday Night RAW the former SAnitY leader Eric Young was quietly (very quietly) drafted to Smackdown Live. The former TNA World Heavyweight Champion appeared to be heading to the red brand alone, with Killian Dain and Alexander Wolfe seemingly being left on Smackdown.
Killian Dain tweeted after the show giving thanks to Young and Wolfe. Dain wrote “I’ll miss you both terribly. Had the time of my life as part of Sanity!! You are phenomenal in the ring and outside of it.” This seemed to confirm that the group has officially been disbanded.
On top of this we have the news that Alexander Wolfe may be heading to NXT UK. Wolfe appeared backstage at yesterday’s NXT UK tapings in Scotland and is due to start shortly. His former stable Ringkampf appeared at the taping and there are rumors that he may be re-joining the group alongside WALTER, Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel.
What Happened?
So what has happened to the group? When SAnitY first debuted in NXT they were presented as a dangerous faction, alongside Nikki Cross. The group were dominant on the brand and captured the NXT Tag Team Championships, Eric Young also got to work once again as an ‘unhinged’ character, akin to what he worked as in TNA. Young had debuted in NXT as a fairly generic babyface character, so this departure was a welcome one.
When SAnitY were brought up to the main roster the issues truly started, especially when the group debuted without Nikki Cross on Smackdown. Cross eventually did get called up, but has been kept far away from the group. Why? I have literally no idea, what was the point in bringing them up without her? She didn’t do a huge amount in NXT after they left. Cross is also Killian Dain’s spouse, so it makes even less sense to bring him up without her.
SAnitY did start off strong on the main roster, gaining wins over the likes of The Usos and The New Day. Since then they were kept fairly quiet and only reappeared when Shane McMahon was feuding with The Miz. There’s no logical reason, they were just seemingly forgotten about.
What Could Have Been?
When we look back at the last decade of WWE there will be two major points (in my mind) that need to looked at. One is how to perfectly execute the debut and subsequent rise of a stable - The Shield. The second will be how to NOT perfectly execute and play to the best of a team’s abilities - SAnitY.
I was a big fan of SAnitY back in NXT, and I really felt that they could’ve made the jump to main roster and established themselves as a dangerous threat, but it wasn’t to be. Sadly, when it comes to this team there really isn’t actually a whole lot to talk about, yet it isn’t exactly their fault. What will WWE do with the team now that they are switching them up to singles performers? There isn’t much hope for them based on the group’s history thus far.
Killian Dain in particular is a fantastic big man performer. The former Big Damo is a stalwart of the British independent scene and is often forgotten as such as he was signed to NXT around the time of the real boom in modern UK wrestling. If Wolfe is heading to NXT UK why not Dain as well? He would be a perfect opponent for current United Kingdom Champion WALTER, two hoss performers lighting each other up.
Eric Young heading to RAW does not excite me greatly. The now former leader of SAnitY does not bring a huge amount to the table as a singles performer and will likely be used as a enhancement talent of sorts. Although, it pains me to write that when there was such promise for the team.
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