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A new WWE faction finally has a name after its leader recently became a champion. The company filed several trademarks earlier this month, and one of the names is now officially used on television.
Shawn Spears returned to WWE last year and has since been performing on NXT. He became Brooks Jensen's mentor before putting together a group in recent months. Niko Vance and Izzi Dame eventually joined, but they still didn't have a name for their stable.
The group has been feuding with Tony D'Angelo and his family. Spears won the NXT North American Championship on March 4. Fast forward to Tuesday's NXT Roadblock in New York City, a vignette featuring the heel quartet revealed the group name as The Culling.
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In the video below, Brooks Jensen explained how Shawn Spears believed in him despite him being at the lowest point of his career. Niko Vance then revealed The Culling's mission, which was to purge the weak and reshape NXT into what they wanted.
Izzi Dame added that the four of them were united by their desire to survive, with The Culling sending a warning to the rest of the NXT locker room.
The Culling is set to take on The D'Angelo Family in a mixed three-on-three match next Tuesday on NXT. The leaders of both groups won't be part of the contest but are likely to be at ringside to show support.
Shawn Spears refused to shake WWE legend's hand after title win
For the first time in his WWE career, Shawn Spears won championship gold when he defeated Tony D'Angelo for the NXT North American Championship earlier this month. After the match, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels tried to shake The Canadian Bad Boy's hand, but the newly crowned champion ignored the legendary star.
Some fans may have forgotten the history between Spears and Michaels, so here's a refresher. When The Canadian Sensation was still in developmental, he played the role of a backstage guy named Stan, who was at the receiving end of a Sweet Chin Music from HBK at Cyber Sunday 2006.
It will be interesting to see how Shawn Spears fares in his title reign.
