Mikey Nicholls, formerly known as Nick Miller in WWE, says he's still with New Japan Pro-Wrestling and has commented on his former tag team partner's run as SLAPJACK of RETRIBUTION.
Mikey Nicholls had a brief run in NXT as TM-61 alongside Shane Thorne. Eventually, Mikey would leave WWE for a run in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Although his run was cut short by the global pandemic, Mikey says he is still in contact with New Japan and he's waiting to return there.
Speaking with Andrew Thompson of POST Wrestling, Mikey provided an update on his status with NJPW.
“Yeah [I’m still with NJPW]. I’m still in contact with them and stuff like that but because we’ve got — I don’t know the travel thing and then there’s quarantining there and here and then I don’t know if I need the shots and stuff like that so I’m all booked in to get at least my first vaccine shot so I’m trying to get all on top of all that so that when it becomes easier, there’s no hold-up and no hassle to just jump right back into it so but, just the not knowing though is what kills me. It’s hard to get my head around the idea that I actually can’t control anything about it. It’s completely out of my hands and that’s kind of hard to come to terms with but, we’re getting there. I’m still in contact with them and still kind of checking in and just seeing how things are so, it should be — hopefully I’ll pick up where I left off and it’s kind of — it’s a bit frustrating because I was on a pretty good run over there.
"Like going from the first time I was there in the New Japan Cup, had a pretty good showing then and then me and Jeff [Cobb] did pretty well as far as we did pretty well in the [World] Tag League and it was just kind of I felt we got the ball rolling and then it just — the rug pulled out from under me. When I first — because I had to renew my residency over there so I went over there for three days and came back and then I was supposed to go back for the New Japan Cup. When was it? I don’t even know what year. Last year I guess. Two days before I was supposed to fly out, they canceled all the flights and closed everything and I was like, ‘F*ck.’ So I had everything planned, merch made, t-shirts printed, everything all ready to go and I’ve just got a giant stack of stuff I can’t get rid of. So, just looking forward to getting back over there, getting back in wrestling stuff.”
As for what he thinks about his former partner’s run as SLAPJACK, Nicholls says he believes that WWE doesn't realize how good Shane is and he would always be open to reuniting with him.
“I don’t know. I think they [WWE] were kind of throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what stuck for a while. The SLAPJACK thing was fine because I mean, he made it his own as well. He’s an idiot, so like, in the best possible way,” Nicholls joked. “So like, put a hood on him, put a mask on him, it gives him a reason to be more of an idiot so, and he’s really good at taking whatever they’re gonna give him and making the most out of it. What do they call it? Chicken salad out of chicken sh*t. He’s pretty good at doing that so I think personality-wise, I think it fit him really well but, I think he’s such an untapped potential for them over there. Like take the hood off him and let him run wild and they’ll be surprised in what they see.”
He added, “Well I think whenever me and Shane [Thorne] get together, I think it’s magic so if we can make that happen, you never know what’s gonna happen. Especially like you’re saying with the rumors [NJPW & WWE] and everything going around now, you never know what’s gonna happen so like, there’s nothing I’d want more than to get back in the ring with him as my partner and I think he kind of feels the same way so now it’s just a matter of seeing what happens, waiting it out and just playing it as it comes so to speak and then just going from that. But it’s also fun just messing around, post stuff every now and then to get people going. Yeah, you know, you gotta keep the interest there, but it was actually quite flattering, the reaction to that kind of stuff because he put our picture up and then I put our picture up and then just seeing all the people, it was good. It’s always fun.”
You can check out the full interview with Mikey Nicholls in the video embedded above.
