Sidney Akeem (Reggie) Says Soleil Is What Scrypts Was Always Meant To Be In NXT

Sidney Akeem reflects on his Scrypts gimmick.

After working as Reggie on the WWE main roster, Sidney Akeem went to NXT, where he debuted a new character called Scrypts. His debut took place against Guru Raaj on the November 22, 2022, edition of NXT.

Speaking on Rewind Recap Relive recently, Akeem discussed the differences between his Scrypts character and Soleil.

“I was Scrypts before. Scrypts was the character in NXT, but Soleil is everything that Scrypts was supposed to be. Soleil was everything that Scrypts were supposed to be back in NXT. So it’s almost full circle, but this time I have the creative freedom to do it the way I want to do it, the way that I envisioned it, the way that I wrote this story in 2020. This is the birth of that. I’m not losing Sidney Akeem. Most people put a mask on to hide who they were and who they are. I put the mask on as a sign of courage and confidence to show that no matter where you come from, no matter what you’ve been through or what people tell you you can’t do, that there’s a superhero inside of everyone. So little kids watching me, I’m a symbol. I am that for them. Soleil is French for son, and I call myself The Black Sun, cause I was once in Cirque du Soleil. I spent almost two decades in the circus. So it’s paying homage to the people who I am and my upbringing. Legit, I have a comic book, and Sidney Akeem is lost on the indies. In the comic book, he gets future endeavored from the wrestling promotion that he was on. So I throw away the Sidney Akeem gear, and I walk away. Then I take a stroll down the street and I’m passing a circus. Then there’s this voice in the circus that’s saying, be who you are meant to be, not who they want you to be. I’m like, ‘What the heck is that voice?’ So I walk into the circus, see this treasure chest. I open it up, and it’s the Soleil mask, basically talking to me to let me know that you’re not who they want you to be. I dig deep inside because it was always there. You just need a little bit of remembrance of who you were. So that’s why I put the mask on.” 

Elsewhere in the interview, Akeem reveals he almost got inserted into WrestleMania 37’s main event. Fans can read his comments here.

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