WWE Rumors: Jordan Myles Reportedly Went On Leave From ‘NXT’ Well Before T-Shirt Controversy
The latest update on controversial NXT superstar Jordan Myles suggests that the wrestler was already on leave for more than a month when he took to social media last weekend to accuse WWE of giving him a racist T-shirt design.
On Friday, Wrestling Inc. cited this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, where it was hinted that Myles “disappeared” from the WWE Performance Center in September, not long after his last NXT match took place. The exact reason behind the grappler’s apparent leave of absence was not specified, but it was noted that he was placed on medical leave for “something that was not an injury,” as described by the former publication.
Although the specifics of Myles’ leave cannot be released by WWE due to confidentiality, Wrestling Inc. pointed out that the Wrestling Observer report lined up with earlier rumors about the former independent standout not being spotted at the Performance Center in recent weeks. His most recent match for NXT saw him and Keith Lee beat The Outliers in tag-team competition during a Melbourne, Florida, live event on September 21.
In a separate report that also cited this week’s Wrestling Observer, WrestlingNews.co wrote that WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque made the decision to go “all the way” with Myles by booking him as the winner of the NXT Breakout Tournament in August. The win earned Myles a title match against NXT Champion Adam Cole on the September 4 episode of NXT, where the newcomer was made to look strong against his more established opponent, even in defeat.
According to an earlier report from The Inquisitr, Myles’ initial Twitter outburst about the purportedly racist design proposed for his first T-shirt was followed by a statement from WWE, which claimed the wrestler initially approved it but later requested that it be changed. He then returned to the social media platform on Monday, where he referred to former Ring of Honor colleague Jay Lethal as an “Uncle Tom” for being the only African American in the promotion to get a good push.
Per WrestlingNews.co, there are “some people” who are reportedly angrier with Myles over his comments about Lethal than they are about the T-shirt issue, due to the fact that the longtime ROH star recently suffered a broken arm and didn’t expect to see his name brought up in such a way by his former coworker.
As of this writing, Myles is reportedly back in his hometown of Austin, Texas, though it remains unclear whether he is still on leave from NXT or when he will return to the ring.
