/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69709408/DSC_9180.0.jpg)
On Tuesday’s night edition of NXT on USA Network, there was segment to hype up the big Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly match at an upcoming NXT Takeover show on Peacock on Sunday, August 23.
During the Cole and O’Reilly segment, they were surrounded by security, with two of them being familiar faces to UCF Knights: Parker Boudreaux and Cal Bloom.
Boudreaux can be seen on the far left with Bloom on far right in the video:
Bloom played at UCF from 2013-2016 and signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2019.
He made his WWE TV debut on the April 10th, 2020 edition of WWE Smackdown on FOX. Bloom would lose his debut match to WWE’s Sheamus.
COMPLETE DOMINANCE by @WWESheamus! #SmackDown @TheCalbloomWWE pic.twitter.com/HyAIuXMkQ8
— WWE (@WWE) April 11, 2020
As Black and Gold Banneret first reported on February 1st, Boudreaux left the UCF Football team after the 2020 season and headed to a career in wrestling as many outlets, including Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer, Sean Ross of Fightful, and Spectrum 360’s John Alba, reported that he had signed a developmental contract with WWE.
Boudreaux has come in with tons of fanfare, having been compared to Brock Lesnar, which Triple H, who is the Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development in WWE and created NXT to help develop wrestlers, addressed when asked about Boudreaux’s signing.
Triple H: "People look at somebody like Parker [Boudreaux] and see, 'Oh, my god, he looks like Brock Lesnar.' So immediately they go, 'Oh, he's the next big thing.' ... As amazing as an athlete as [Parker] is, you've got to be trained. You've got to know what you're doing."#UCF
— Brian Murphy (@Spokes_Murphy) February 11, 2021
Boudreaux’s NXT debut did not go unnoticed. His name started lighting up many timelines, as well as Bloom, which you can check out some of those reactions below.
Parker Boudreaux
— WrestleJake - DailyAccolade (@WrestleJake) August 11, 2021
Jacob Kasper/Julius Creed
Drew Kasper/Brutus Creed
Bronson Steiner
Cal Bloom
@ParkerBoudreaux is playing a security guard did anybody notice #WWENXT
— Richard Silva (@richardsilva84) August 11, 2021
Awesome to spot @ParkerBoudreaux on #WWENXT tonight!!
— Brent (@Brent3323) August 11, 2021
Parker Boudreaux is one of the security guards. #WWENXT
— Fightful Wrestling (@Fightful) August 11, 2021
It's THE MYTH, THE LEGEND @ParkerBoudreaux #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/8RiIiQuOYC
— Andes (@andes_moua) August 11, 2021