via bleacher report
The WWE continued its recent signing spree Tuesday when the company officially announced an NXT deal with Kevin Steen, according to John Clapp of WWE.com.
WWE's official Twitter account shared a photo of Triple H and Steen shaking hands
Triple H also took time to tweet to the Canadian fans about the WWE Network and Steen's signing:
via Twitter @Triple H:
#WWE Universe in Canada: Proud to say the @WWENetwork is available today and the signing of Canada's own Kevin Steen.
Steen will report to the WWE Performance Center on Aug. 25.
For those unfamiliar with Steen’s wrestling career, he is a 30-year-old Canadian veteran who honed his craft on the independent scene for almost 15 years. While he is best known for his time as one of the top draws in Ring of Honor, where he won the world championship, he also had stints with Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Combat Zone Wrestling along the way.
When asked about the perception that he would not fit the WWE Superstar mold, Steen told Clapp about the doubters and the motivation they brought him:
"I actually didn’t, and that might be hard to believe for a lot of people. I’ve encountered a lot of people in my career that didn’t think I’d ever get to WWE, but I’m actually really proud to be an exception, which is what I’ve been pretty much my entire career, everywhere I’ve went. I’ve never been the norm and I take great pride in that, but I never doubted that I would get here eventually."
Steen’s first feud should come against his long-time friend, Sami Zayn.
Zayn, who was known as El Generico on the independent scene, teamed with Steen for many years and they even won the ROH tag team titles.
However, their split resulted in one of the most vicious feuds in recent history. In 2010, Wrestling Observer Newsletter awarded the battle between El Generico and Steen as the best feud of the year for any promotion.
With a long history between the two men and a new stage to develop the rivalry, what better first feud for Steen in NXT than taking on Zayn?
Regardless of whom Steen feuds or when he eventually debuts on television, the addition of the fan favorite to the NXT roster is yet another in a long line of smart moves by Triple H and the WWE staff in building for the future.
All I have to say is, FIGHT STEEN FIGHT!
Thoughts?