A new report has provided an update on the statuses of Australian grapplers Shane Thorne and Brendan Vink, who were briefly featured on Monday Night Raw before disappearing from television several weeks ago.
As recalled by WrestlingNews.co , WWE appeared to have some big plans for Thorne and Vink due to their involvement with MVP. Originally, the plan was for the veteran performer to betray his young proteges. However, that storyline seems to have been quietly abandoned, most likely because the company fired Paul Heyman as Raw executive director and discarded a number of his ideas when he was replaced in the role by Bruce Prichard. As such, MVP has since focused his attention on a pair of veterans — Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin — as the leader of The Hurt Business.
With Thorne removed from the red brand’s programming, he has a match scheduled on Wednesday’s episode of NXT , where he will be facing yet another countryman, Bronson Reed, in singles action. He has also been re-listed on the black-and-gold brand’s roster on the WWE website, as further noted.
While it appears that Thorne now has something to keep him busy following his abbreviated main roster stint, Vink is currently not listed on any of the promotion’s rosters. However, officials are reportedly still high on the 6-foot-5-inch performer despite his erstwhile lack of a role on television.
Citing a source, WrestlingNews.co wrote that Vink has stood out as the “perfect wrestler,” a “well-spoken” individual who has a good look and could properly handle mainstream TV interviews much as top stars like John Cena and Drew McIntyre are able to do. It also seems that WWE chairman Vince McMahon remains a fan of the youngster because of his size and is still planning to take a slow-burn approach in regard to his booking.
Although a previous report from Ringside News had suggested that Thorne and Vink were also taken off television because of the increased focus on proven veterans, there is a chance that one or both of them may be brought back to the main roster in the foreseeable future, if recent rumors are any indication.
As noted last week by The Inquisitr , McMahon is reportedly shifting his focus toward younger, less-proven wrestlers as he tries to create new stars. Supposedly, this is mainly because several big names, including the likes of Roman Reigns, Edge, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch, are injured or have taken leaves of absence for various reasons.
