Nick Wayne to make AEW debut on July 12 Dynamite

Wrestling prodigy and new DEFY Champion Nick Wayne will make his AEW debut on the July 12th AEW Dynamite, days after his 18th birthday.

His opponent: Swerve Strickland. 

Strickland lost his DEFY title to Wayne Saturday in Seattle, Washington, and after the match, Strickland called his shot for a third meeting in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, for Wayne’s AEW debut.

The two are 1-1 in their series thus far. This match will not be for the title.

Wayne, son of the late wrestler and trainer Buddy Wayne, signed a contract with AEW last February after being presented with the contract by Darby Allin at a DEFY event. 

At the time, our Bryan Alvarez noted the deal was more of an apprenticeship as Wayne, then 16, had to finish high school first. After his 18th birthday, he would then become a fully contracted wrestler.

Since breaking out onto the scene, Wayne has been a regular on the indies and has wrestled worldwide while still working his way through high school. He’s been a GCW regular, notably competing against Will Ospreay last year in a dream match of his after his appearance for last January’s WRLD of GCW in New York City had to be scrapped due to his age.

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Josh Nason
Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.