Kendal Grey Says She Legitimately Did Not Know John Cena Was Selecting Her For Iron Survivor Challenge At NXT Deadline
Grey did not know she was going to be picked.
WWE’s NXT brand is fresh off the heels of its Deadline Premium Live Event and is now moving towards the New Year’s Evil special in January 2026.
The Iron Survivor Challenge match type returned for the Deadline PLE. On the women’s side of the spectrum, EVOLVE Women’s Champion Kendal Grey emerged victorious from the match to secure herself an NXT Women’s Championship match.
After the 12/9 NXT on The CW, Grey sat down with Bully Ray for a recording of Busted Open After Dark. 17-time WWE World Champion John Cena made the selections for the women’s Iron Survivor Challenge field. Grey shared that she legitimately had no idea that Cena was going to choose her.
“Oh, I had no idea (John Cena was picking me for the Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline). No idea. I literally was shocked. Shocked. I was like, ‘There’s no way. This is not happening,’ because I am still very new in this. I just passed two years being in the Performance Center. I am so new and so fresh so to have this opportunity and to have John Cena see something in me to test my skills against the best women in NXT, it meant something to me…”
Grey is getting her shot at Jacy Jayne’s NXT Women’s Championship at New Year’s Evil. There was a brawl between Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley & Lainey Reid) and the duo of Grey and Wren Sinclair on the 12/9 NXT.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit Busted Open After Dark with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
