Lyons is currently sidelined.
In late 2023, Nikkita Lyons made her return to NXT TV after being sidelined due to a torn ACL injury. Lyons has not wrestled since the January 9th edition of NXT and while guest appearing on Booker T and Brad Gilmore’s Hall of Fame Podcast, she revealed she underwent surgery two months ago. She is hoping to be back by NXT Halloween Havoc which traditionally takes place in October.
So my timeline right now, it’s been two months since my surgery and honestly, I feel like those two months have went pretty quick, at least for me because I’m on the grind every day but right now, I’m hoping by Halloween Havoc, I’m hoping. But, that’ll be a good time but also, I wanna make sure that — by that time, I should be ready to go but, I don’t want to say an exact, like, oh, it’s gonna be here because with injuries, it’s kind of day by day and going back to the ‘out of sight’… I’ma stay active. Y’all, I’m not going nowhere… That’s why I’m shoving myself in y’all’s face. Y’all are not gonna see this brickhouse blow down. That’s where I’m at and like, that’s where I cross into my music and different forms of art that I can do. Still talking to the people, being involved, like I said, going to these community events and charity events. I ain’t going nowhere. I’m just gonna continue to improve in every other way that I can until I can step in the squared circle again.
Booker T brought up a past comment that the string of major injuries to talents in NXT’s women’s division is due to the training at the WWE Performance Center. He said that can’t be true because he’s there on a weekly basis.
He asked Nikkita to speak on that and she said the following:
My experience there (at the WWE P.C.) has always been great. I mean, it pushes you to your limit, however, it’s safe and I think a big thing when it comes to the injuries and stuff is the recovery and possibly warming up properly before having a live match and a TV match, and the people that I work with, my experience has been great. I like to go in there every day to the best of my ability with happiness and positivity and just not change my energy if other energies are different and try to uplift the energy as much as possible but, it’s a great crew down there… My experience has been honestly wonderful and I’m grateful every day that I walk in there.
Over the past several years, Lyons suffered an ACL and MCL tear. She discussed bouncing back from those respective injuries.
Honestly, it kind of coincides with the constant rejection growing up in the entertainment industry. Now while this is more of a physical manifestation within my physical body that… it sucks (getting hurt). I’m not gonna lie. It’s painful and it sucks and I don’t wanna sugarcoat and be like, ‘Yeah! Everything’s great and dandy!’ No, there’s days where it’s really tough, really difficult where I don’t wanna look at the internet, I don’t need to do any of that. I wanna focus on me, lock back in, whatever. However, every single time I’ve experienced an injury, I’ve always discovered myself even further. I’ve always found different parts of me that are simply just memories because we just come back to do it all, you know? I always learn so much and it sucks obviously. I’m done, I wanna be done now, you know? (She laughed) But stuff happens. It just happens, especially in our line of work. It’s just part of it and I accept that and honestly, when I do get hurt, it gives me the chance to be even better. Like, okay, that version wasn’t strong enough, that version needed some tweaking, needed some work. Okay, I’m gonna accept this challenge and I’m gonna come back better than ever, than I ever have.
Lyons made her in-ring debut for WWE in 2021. She was offered a developmental contract coming out of the 2021 SummerSlam week tryouts in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit the Hall of Fame Podcast with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
