WWE NXT on Tuesday night was filled with surprise debuts, but one wrestler made more noise than the rest as she entered the ring.
Lizzy Rain, the niece of late Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, vowed to keep heavy metal alive as she came to WWE from PROGRESS Wrestling, where she was the PROGRESS women’s champion. The British wrestler, formerly known in the ring as Rayne Leverkusen, squared off against Nikkita Lyons in her first NXT match.
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She avoided a mid-rope splash from Lyons and then nailed her opponent with a step-up knee shot to Lyons, which was dubbed Thunderstruck. She pinned Lyons and picked up her first win.
Rain talked about how her uncle inspired her in her life on “Busted Open After Dark.”
“Clive, he inspired me so much. To be honest, when I was younger, I didn’t really know who he was,” she said, via Wrestle Talk. “He died, I think it’s 13 years ago now, something like that, so I was 15 years old. And when I was growing up, and he was well, he died from MS, unfortunately so he wasn’t very well by the time I got into my teens, he was not verbal or anything.
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“Then I was younger and around him I didn’t have a clue who he was. I liked music, I always liked Alice Cooper, I always liked Iron Maiden but as a child I didn’t really know, ‘Oh, my uncle is the original drummer of Iron Maiden,’ until I got into my teens.”
Unfortunately, Rain said, she was unable to really talk to Burr about his life in Iron Maiden before he died in 2013.
Elsewhere, a few other newcomers appeared.
Former IWGP champion known as EVIL stepped up to Tony D’Angelo, the current NXT champion. After EVIL left the ring, former PROGRESS atlas champion known as Will Kroos assaulted D’Angelo.
Kam Hendrix, Tristan Angels and Tate Wilder also appeared on NXT for the first time.
NXT Results
Myles Borne def. Saquon Shugars to retain the NXT North American Championship.
EK Prosper and Sean Legacy def. Stacks Lorenzo and Uriah Connors.
Lizzy Rain def. Nikkita Lyons.
Kelani Jordan def. Wren Sinclair.
Shiloh Hill def. Ricky Saints.
Late Iron Maiden drummer’s niece makes WWE NXT debut
