The NXT tag division is losing one of its top teams, at least for the immediate future. Shane Thorne of TM-61 suffered a knee injury during the last set of NXT tapings.
The Wrestling Observer was the first media outlet to report on Thorne's surgery, which is expected to sideline him for several months. Time will tell whether the other half of TM-61, Nick Miller, finds a new partner while Thorne recovers or makes a go of it in the singles ranks.
TM-61 were slated to feud against The Revival. The injury also comes at an inopportune time for the duo of Miller and Thorne, who reportedly have been part of Terry Taylor's "finishing class" at the WWE Performance Center, which is considered the final step before a wrestler moves up to the main roster.
Native to Australia, Miller and Thorne signed with WWE in 2015. Their biggest claim to fame prior to that was from a lengthy stint in Pro Wrestling NOAH, where the duo had two reigns as GHC Tag Champions.
Also according to the Observer, TM-61 was one of several acts in NXT that was going to have a gimmick change. That gimmick change for the team will be delayed by Thorne's injury, but other NXT talents who are going to be repackaged include the following names:
- Wesley Blake
- Buddy Murphy
- Steve Cutler
- Riddick Moss
- Tino Sabbatelli
- Dan Matha
Other than Blake and Murphy, who held the NXT Tag Titles for several months in 2015, all the other names on that list have made, at best, sporadic appearances on the NXT program.
