Former NXT wrestler reveals WWE creative restricted character direction
Former NXT wrestler Reggie (Sidney Akeem) reflected on the creative limitations during his WWE run.
In an interview with John Kiernan of Ropes n Riffs, Reggie said the SCRYPTS gimmick was shaped by multiple voices within WWE’s creative team. He added that his current superhero-inspired character, Soleil, is his authentic self.
“To be honest, Soleil is what I wanted SCRYPTS to be, but I didn’t have full creative freedom with the SCRYPTS character. It was just so many different cooks in the kitchen that when you saw SCRYPTS that was an accumulation of the head writer, the writing team, this person, that person, myself and whatnot and it was just all over the place. But this is 100% authentically me, and I was hired because of my story in WWE but I never got to use that story. And so I said, if my story and my athletic ability was good enough for me to get hired in a company where I had zero experience, then that story must be good. So I must tell that story.”
Reggie pointed out the misconception about wrestlers competing on the indies regarding creative liberty with their gimmicks.
“And so, when I got to the indies I seen people talk about how they have so much freedom on the indies to do whatever. They don’t talk about the grind and how hard it is and bookings they come sparingly, but they talk about the freedom you have and you’re so much happier. I was very happy when I put this mask on and did this story.”
“I could have stayed Sidney Akeem and whatnot, but I’m going to do both. I’m not going to lose who I am, because I am a character myself. But Soleil represents a big group of people, mainly kids that look like me or been through things that I’ve been through because I’m letting them know that it’s ok to put on a mask, not to hide, but as a sign of courage. It’s a sign of, I’m gonna do what I got to do, regardless if the world around me tells me that I can’t.”
When Reggie signed to WWE in 2020 he was introduced as Carmella’s French sommelier and assisted in her SmackDown feuds. In 2022 he was moved to NXT where he competed under his Scrypts persona before being released in 2024.
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.