Published: 4 seconds ago by Liam | Last Updated: 4 seconds ago by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news since early 2018. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles and led WrestleTalk.com’s coverage from 2022 until mid 2026.
WWE
There could be a surprise WWE feud for the 946 based on them stealing a catchphrase from a faction that already existed before their debut.
Originally made up of Royce Keys, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price, recent weeks have seen the 946 add Jaida Parker and Carmelo Hayes to their ranks.
Even pre-Parker and Hayes, the group established a catchphrase when signing off all of their promos and recorded videos: “Ain’t nobody safe.”
One problem… DarkState have been doing the exact same thing in NXT with the exact same catchphrase for close to two years.
Granted, their version is “When DarkState strikes, ain’t nobody safe,” but still, that’s the exact same phrase they’ve been ending their promos with.
DarkState member Cutler James even reacted when Royce Keys posted one of 946’s first promo videos, with James writing:
“When Darkstate strikes…. Wait wtf”
A clever long-term plan, or just a mistake?
So… is this all part of a plan for the two groups to feud, or was it an oversight that simply shouldn’t have happened?
If there does end up being a match between the two groups, DarkState are two members down – made up of Dion Lennox, Cutler James and Osiris Griffin, they’ve never had a female member, and ousted original fourth man Saquon Shugars earlier this year.
The NXT and even lower-tier developmental women’s division isn’t short of names who could fit in as the equalizer for Jaida Parker, though there have been no signs of it happening to this point.
In fact, it’s seeming increasingly likely that DarkState as a trio aren’t long for this world.
From the start, it seemed like four random Performance Center trainees put together as a way to debut them all at once, which is why it made sense when Shugars was separated from them.
DarkState seemingly breaking up soon
The rest of them have stayed together, but Lennox seems to be breaking out in his own right and has had a few big singles match over the past few months, as well as the one coming up against Cruz Montana.
Cutler James also seems to have an eye on a singles run as he’s been working on his own in WWE Evolve and even stated his intentions to challenge for the Evolve Championship.
The odd one out is Osiris Griffin, as there haven’t really been any signs of him looking to branch out, though that would kind of happen naturally anyway if the other two.
The point is, there probably isn’t a long-term 946 vs DarkState plan and the matching catchphrases was probably just a coincidence that nobody involved realized – granted, it’s a coincidence that should have been caught and the 946 should have come up with something else.
But, even if the 946 are set to separate soon, it might be an idea to feature them on WWE Raw just for the sake of giving the 946 a win against three physically impressive opponents with a bit of a story behind it, which in itself could be the catalyst for DarkState’s break-up.
The 946 have gone straight into a big storyline with The Bloodline without really proving themselves on a big stage – a little diversion for a couple of weeks leading to a match in which they beat Lennox, James and Griffin could go a long way in establishing them as a legitimate threat.
To make sure you stay up to date with all the biggest wrestling and WrestleTalk news, follow us on Threads by clicking this link!
