One of the most anticipated in-ring debuts was that of Nick Wayne. The 18-year-old star had his first wrestling match in the Jacksonville-based promotion back in July of this year. He recently opened up about how he felt about his in-ring debut.
Nick was trained by his father Buddy Wayne. One of his mentors is former TNT Champion Darby Allin. He was one of the main reasons for the 18-year-old to get an opportunity to be part of the Tony Khan-led promotion. Allin was the one who gave his mentor his AEW Contract. This moment took place during an episode of DEFY Wrestling.
In his first match, Nick Wayne wrestled one of his biggest rivals from his DEFY Wrestling days in Swerve Strickland. The 18-year-old put on a tough fight but in the end Strickland managed to steal the victory.
In a recent interview with Denise Salcedo at the Starrcast event, Nick Wayne opened up about what the AEW debut meant to him. The Child prodigy mentioned that his family was there to support him throughout his journey. He then mentioned that he believes he has achieved his goal in professional wrestling.
“My mom was there, everyone at home was watching, and I got so many messages the day of, before the match, after the match. And it just felt like, my goal was to make the world proud and I feel like I did just that and it really touched my heart because that’s what I wanted to do and I think that’s what I did. So I’m very glad that I made everyone at home happy, all my brothers and sisters and family. So, it’s a moment that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life,” Nick Wayne said.
Nick Wayne’s AEW Debut
While speaking in the same interview, the AEW star also mentioned that he was extremely nervous the day before his debut. He stated that he had been waiting for a year and a half for this moment and was glad that it was finally becoming a reality.
“Well, previous to the debut, I can tell you about the day before. I was… I had nerves the entire day before the match. I was like, ‘I’m not even wrestling today and these nerves are just killing me right now… And it just felt like a year and a half of built-up anticipation was leading to tomorrow. And I couldn’t believe it was already happening… I was so nervous but at the same time I was so happy and I was so thankful at the same time and I just… I cried of tears of happiness after the match,” Wayne said.
Since then, Wayne has been featured regularly on Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage. He also made a brief appearance at the All Out pay-per-view to show his support for Darby Allin.
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