On Thursday, August 18, WWE announced that NXT UK would be going on hiatus following a Worlds Collide event on September 4.
The brand would return in 2023 as NXT Europe with WWE looking to expand their reach overseas. After the announcement, NXT UK talent began to reveal that they had been released by the company. Talent released included Wild Boar, Mark Andrews, Flash Morgan Webster, Sha Samuels, and more.
Shane Haste, who made his name in Australia before joining WWE in 2016, is already excited at the prospect of working against former NXT UK Tag Team Champions Webster & Morgan.
Speaking to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, Haste learned of the NXT UK releases and was stunned, saying, "That's crazy, I just heard, they're doing NXT Europe. So they made it a bigger market and...they're making it smaller? Honestly, I don't follow too much of it. I know these guys, especially Flash and Andrews, as you were saying their names, I was like 'Oh.'"
When it was noted to him that Webster had recently signed a new deal, Haste replied, "The contracts don't mean a lot."
He continued, discussing what it means for the released talent.
"There is so much work in the UK again, everyone loves a return. They are going to get their return with all the freedom in the world. I'd love to work with them again. I love Andrews and Flash. They are so cool. They are such cool dudes. I guarantee, once their downtime is done, you're going to see them even more. NXT UK weren't really using them that much. They didn't spotlight a lot of people. They're going to get themselves back into the spotlight because they are too good and they're such good people. People will want them on their shows. I think you'll see them back in America. Fuck yeah, bring it on. Me and Mark Andrews. Come fight me at STRONG. Let's do it. I want TMDK against Andrews & Flash," he said.
Haste teamed with Mikey Nicholls to take on Webster & Raul Mendoza at an NXT live event in 2018. The two also teamed against Andrews & Mendoza at a NXT live event in 2018.
Haste will be in action on August 21 at the NJPW STRONG: Fighting Spirit Unleashed tapings in Hollywood, CA. He will be teaming with Bad Dude Tito to take on Christopher Daniels & Yuya Uemura.
Fightful will have results from the show when they are available.
