Exclusive: Mikey Nicholls on WWE – “We Got Signed as Who We Were. That Meant a Lot.”
By @WrestleMobs
Watch the full interview on Bodyslam’s YouTube
Bonus content + early access: Patreon.com/BodySlam
When Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste signed with WWE, they didn’t do it as reinventions.
They weren’t molded. They weren’t repackaged into something corporate focus groups could digest. They came in as they were: a tight, battle-tested team from Japan and Australia with years of chemistry under the name TMDK — rebranded as TM61 for WWE’s black-and-gold NXT era.
“We got signed as who we were,” Mikey told WrestleMobs in an exclusive interview.
“I didn’t have to become somebody else. And that meant a lot to me.”
At a time when so many signings came with an identity reboot — new name, new gear, new voice — Nicholls and Haste were given the rare opportunity to remain themselves. That mattered.
“Just being there — that was the goal. We made it to WWE.”
But what started as a win quickly got murky.
The NXT Era: A Moment in Time
TM61 debuted in NXT in 2016, working with the likes of The Authors of Pain, DIY, and later, appearing in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They brought a style that was different from the usual NXT mold — more grounded, more Japanese-influenced, and more cohesive as a tag team.
But for all the promise, their momentum didn’t last long. Nicholls, reflecting on that period now, carries no bitterness — but his words hint at a disconnect between potential and payoff.
There’s an edge to his tone when he talks about that chapter. Not regret, but maybe a sense of missed opportunity — and of knowing that what they brought to the table wasn’t fully understood.
Walking Away: No Drama, Just Truth
What makes Nicholls’ WWE departure unique is that it wasn’t a messy release, or a creative fallout, or a public dispute.
He simply chose to leave.
“I was lucky. I wasn’t released. I asked to leave,” he explained.
“I just felt like I was done there.”
There’s something powerful about that — a wrestler at peace with walking away from the biggest company in the world. No desperation. No need to cling. Just clarity.
“It was the right time,” he added. “And it was a good run. I have nothing bad to say about it.”
That kind of perspective is rare — and earned.
TMDK Always Came First
Even during the WWE run, the soul of what made Nicholls and Haste work as a tag team never changed. The name changed. The stage changed. But the chemistry — and the independence — stayed untouched.
“We’d already been a team for years,” he said. “In Japan. In Australia. On the road. That didn’t stop just because we were in NXT.”
There’s quiet pride in how they carried themselves through WWE without needing to chase relevance, or bend to become something they weren’t.
“We stuck to what we were. That’s what I’m proud of.”
WWE Wasn’t the End Game — It Was Just Part of the Route
Unlike many who see WWE as the destination, for Nicholls it was just a chapter.
“WWE was great. But it wasn’t the dream forever,” he told us.
“We did it. And then it was time to move on.”
That’s why the return to Japan made so much sense — not as a step back, but as a continuation of the path they carved themselves long before the cameras found them.
Now, with TMDK thriving again in NJPW and the IWGP Tag Titles in his sights, Nicholls doesn’t look back on WWE with nostalgia or frustration — just gratitude, clarity, and closure.
Watch the Full Interview
Full video on Bodyslam’s YouTube
Early access & bonus content: Patreon.com/BodySlam
