What is the story behind Robert Stone and his attempts to sign Rhea Ripley and other NXT stars?

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4 years ago

Robert Stone (WWE)

Robert Stone has been trying to recruit a number of superstars on WWE NXT of late. Here’s the entire story behind his attempts to add top talent to the ‘Robert Stone Brand’.

Robert Stone has become a familiar face on WWE NXT of late, providing comedic relief on the show with some quirky segments.

Currently in his second stint with the promotion, Stone returned to WWE in 2019, operating as the heel manager of Rinku Singh and Saurav Gurjar under his real name Robert Strauss.

Chelsea Green was Robert Stone’s first client (Image credit: WWE)

In January 2020, his character was reworked, as he came back as Robert Stone, with up and coming NXT star Chelsea Green as his new client of his own stable the ‘Robert Stone Brand’.

The pair had a good five-month run on NXT, before Green fired him after having teamed up with Charlotte Flair to defeat Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley.

Stone tries to recruit Ripley

After being fired by Green, Stone started turning up on NXT drunk and disheveled, at the same time trying to add Rhea Ripley to his stable. Amidst all this, he did manage to recruit Aliyah as his client, after helping her defeat Xia Li.

However, his pursuit of Ripley continued to bear no fruits, as he got mauled by the Nightmare on more than one occasion.

This eventually led to a one-on-one match between Aliyah and Ripley on NXT. Stone, in a comical moment, tried to help Aliyah get the win by throwing a shoe into the ring as a potential distraction. But that failed to work as Ripley beat his client.

The following week, a two-on-one handicap match was set with Ripley facing off against the team of Stone and Aliyah. If the pair won, Ripley would have to join the ‘Robert Stone Brand’.

Stone and Aliyah had their moments, but Ripley eventually triumphed, getting both into submission holds at the same time and having them tap out.

Rhea Ripley defeated Robert Stone and Aliyah (WWE)

Shotzi Blackheart next on the cards

Having eaten a humble pie in his efforts to try and sign Ripley to his brand, Stone turned his attention towards Shotzi Blackheart on Day 2 of The Great American Bash. However, things once again did not end well for him, as he got decked by Killian Dain, before being run over by Shotzi’s mini-tank.

Shotzi Blackheart ran over Robert Stone’s leg (WWE)

He returned next week with a walking boot on his injured leg and exacted some revenge on Shotzi, by distracting her in her fight against Indi Hartwell, allowing the latter to pick up her first ever win on NXT.

The subsequent week saw Shotzi square off against Aliyah in the ring, and she ended up defeating Stone’s client before running over Stone’s other leg with her tank.

Shotzi’s celebrations short-lived

However, Shotzi’s celebrations didn’t last long as she was hit with a big boot by Mercedes Martinez. In a backstage segment shortly after, Martinez approached Brand and agreed to let him represent her, provided he can handle the big matches, look over the contracts and handle the “crap” she doesn’t care about.

And thus, Stone’s ‘efforts’ to expand his brand had paid off as he had a new client in the form of Mercedes Martinez.

While Stone and Aliyah have been providing the humour quotient on NXT, the addition of Martinez should provide them with a more legitimate and serious presence. It will be interesting to see what lies ahead for the ‘Robert Stone Brand’.