Former WWE Star Recalls Making Main Roster Debut Without NXT Run: ‘I Thought I Was Gonna Be There For A One-Off’

WWE

Former WWE star Sidney Akeem has recalled making his TV debut on the main roster, noting that he originally thought his SmackDown debut was a one-off.

Akeem – who wrestled in WWE as Reginald, Reggie and SCRYPTS – joined the WWE Performance Center in 2020, right before the pandemic.

He first appeared on WWE TV during the ThunderDome era, showing up as Carmella’s personal wine sommelier, Reginald.

Speaking with Duke Hanson, Sidney Akeem recalled receiving the call to appear on SmackDown.

Explaining how this led to him signing a main roster contract before even wrestling on NXT TV, Akeem said:

“That opportunity led to me getting an opportunity to go to SmackDown, the ThunderDome. It was just the luck of the draw, I guess I impressed them enough in the ring, they needed an extra talent, (Matt) Bloom thought I deserved it.

“He sent me there, ‘Bring a suit.’ ‘Alright, cool.’ I went to SmackDown and legit, I thought I was gonna be there for a one-off. I was a sommelier, I didn’t have any lines, I just had a nice suit.

“I delivered this contract from Carmella to Sasha (Banks, aka Mercedes Mone), and Sasha whooped my ass. She smacked me, hit me with the contract, hit me on the table, hit the Bank Statement, put me in the submission. I was like ‘Sweet, that was a good first impression on the main roster.’

“The next thing you know, they called me back. Every time they called me back, I said ‘I’m just going to do something a little bit different. Let’s bring a different suit this time. Add a little bit of verbiage.’ I said ‘You know, I speak French. I can maybe add to this sommelier character.’

“Then I spoke French, then something happened, people were advocating for me. I don’t know what it was, but Vince saw something. The next thing you know, I was told ‘Hey Reg, you’re going to be on the main roster.’ They gave me that contract and I remember, I just couldn’t contain myself.”

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Akeem’s first televised match ever saw him lose to Sasha Banks on the January 22, 2021 SmackDown episode.

Neither star is currently with WWE, with Banks currently wrestling as Mercedes Mone in AEW, and Akeem departing the company in June 2024.

With Sidney Akeem teasing that an alliance with Mone is only a phone call away earlier this year, it would be fun to see these two stars reunite, with the dynamic having changed considerably since 2021.

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• wwe
• main roster
• Debut
• sidney akeem

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