Roderick Strong is all in with Diamond Mine.
After quitting NXT in April, Roderick Strong returned to the brand on June 22 as the leader of Diamond Mine. Strong was flanked by Malcolm Bivens, Tyler Rust, and Hachiman.
Fightful reported that Arturo Ruas and Marina Shafir were originally planned to be part of the group, but that didn't happen and both wrestlers were released by WWE on June 25.
Speaking on the Meep Meep Podcast, Strong confirmed that Shafir was planned to be part of the group, saying "Yeah" when asked about her original involvement. Strong even had custom gear made for the group, including Shafir and Ruas.
"I actually got those made for everybody," Strong said about Diamond Mine rash guards. "It's important. I got custom pads and gloves made, we just haven't seen them. We haven't been able to show any of that stuff yet. I'm just thankful that I know a guy in Florida, he runs shows called Combat MMA. His name is Mitchell and I said, 'Is there any way you can help me out with this?' He had given Troy these small gloves and they were custom combat gloves and I was like, 'Do you know someone who can do that?' He like hooked it up. They came from overseas, but he put a rush on it to make sure we had it in time and we were lucky. Then there's a guy who runs Retro Grappler Shop and he knows Mitchell. We got linked up. I had actually gotten Undisputed Era rash guards made because we were always training together and I had no rash guard. Then I was like, 'Obviously I have to get some made for (Diamond Mine).' It was a cool commemorative thing to have and I got my son one and it has his name. I got my wife [Marina Shafir] one and I got Adrian (Jaoude) [Arturo Ruas] one. It didn't end up working out, things happened the way they did. At least it's something they can remember and use."
You can find Ruas' comments on originally being part of Diamond Mine by clicking here.
While the custom training gear hasn't been regularly featured on NXT, the Diamond Mine track jackets have been front and center. Strong is hoping they will be available soon for fans to purchase.
"I'm working on them. I'm telling them. I love it," Strong said about the jackets. "We had just talked about a concept and they are the ones that had created the design. I was very proud of them. We were trying to give them a different feel and not just a regular jacket."
Diamond Mine has added The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus) and Ivy Nile to the group over the past month.
Strong is the reigning NXT Cruiserweight Champion and successfully defended his title against Grayson Waller on Tuesday's NXT.
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