Jordynne Grace says she got in trouble for move used in Giulia NXT match
Jordynne Grace got in trouble in WWE for using a banned move in her match against Giulia on NXT last year.
Speaking with Adrian Hernandez, Grace revisited her No.1 contender match with Giulia for the NXT Championship in May 2025. She disclosed that while the bout received an overwhelming response from fans, WWE on the other hand was not too pleased. It was because she used the Michinoku Driver, a banned in-ring move restricted due to high-risk neck or spine injuries. However, the modified version is applied in WWE.
“I’ll give you a little behind-the-scenes information, we got in trouble for that match. They just said it was too much. I do the Michinoku Driver — at the time, I did not know that they don’t do the Michinoku Driver from Japan here. They do the one where you sit the person out all the way. I didn’t know that was a thing until after this match.”
Grace proceeded to praise Giulia and looks forward to rehashing their feud someday on the main roster.
“It was not taken very well but I loved the match. I love wrestling Giulia, she’s awesome. I cannot wait to wrestle her again. Those matches are really the best moments for me because that’s when the wrestlers really get to feel something, right? They feel like it’s real. It is real but it’s like real in that moment.”
Grace was one the few NXT talents who shifted to the main roster in January this year where she is associated with the SmackDown brand.
Barely ten days after their high-stakes NXT match, Giulia was announced as the newest member of the SmackDown roster in 2025. She is in her second reign as United States Champion.
On the April 17 edition of the program, Tiffany Stratton defeated Grace in a No. 1 contender match for the championship.
Rosanne Raphael is a wrestling writer with over three and a half years of experience covering all things related to the industry. From a kindergarten teacher to PR Associate to turning her lifelong passion for the industry into a career, Rosanne is currently writing for F4W Online where she focuses on wrestling news, analysis, and storytelling.
Rosanne previously contributed to Sportskeeda as an Assistant Content Manager.
When not consumed by wrestling, Rosanne is a musician and an aspiring artist.