Byron Saxton Was Pitched As One Of The Original Hosts For The First Concept Of NXT Brand

Byron Saxton says he was originally pitched it to be one of the first hosts of the original NXT. 

Byron Saxton has found his voice as the quirky commentator on Monday Night Raw. In many ways, Byron is the representative of the WWE Universe behind the mic. As someone who is a major fan, Saxton says he still gets nervous before shows.

Speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Byron Saxton recalls learning that he was officially being called up to the main roster and details the first time he thought he was going to be called up in a presenter capacity.

“I do recall when I first got to be part of one of the main shows because I started on SmackDown. So, I do recall, like they had put out in announcement at the time, I was at the Florida mall in Orlando, sitting in the food court. Reading the announcement online all of a sudden, I was like getting heart palpitations. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just hope I don’t mess up. I hope I do good.’ It’s to this day, I still a nervous wreck before every show,” he said. “It’s one thing when you’re told, but it’s only official when it’s online. It’s kind of funny to say. But in this case, there’s me. When I actually read the press release, I’m like, ‘Man, this is really going to happen.’ I think, to your point, it is because a lot of times, you know, I had been told I was gonna have an opportunity, like the Clash of Champions thing that didn’t happen. I remember when ECW closed, I was told that I was going to be one of the hosts on NXT and then that didn’t happen. So I’m always like, oh, let’s see, you know, which a lot of people in our industry do, which I’m sure you know, they don’t necessarily believe it until it actually happens when it actually happened, and then when I was actually on the air, it’s like ‘Oh, boy, this is real now.'”

Byron Saxton would eventually be on NXT, making his official WWE television debut as one of the competitors on NXT season 4. The season would go on to be won by Johnny Curtis AKA Fandango. Byron Saxton never had many chances as a wrestler on television beyond that. He did, however, become a WWE 24/7 Champion briefly. Learn more about that title history here.

If you use any of the quotes above, please credit the original source with a H/T and link back to Fightful for the transcription.