During the March 3, 2026 episode of WWE NXT, a segment featuring Ricky Saints performing a mock concert aimed at poking fun at Joe Hendry, the NXT World Champion, was removed from WWE’s social media channels following significant negative feedback from fans. The segment, intended to further the storyline between Saints and Hendry, instead stirred criticism online amid comparisons and past remarks.
Criticism Highlights Comparisons to The Rock and Past Comments
Many fans invoked previous statements made in 2023 by Adam Copeland, who referred to Ricky Saints as a
“vanilla midget rip-off of The Rock.”
Online critics pointed out that Saints’ concert routine and style drew heavy resemblance to The Rock’s trademarks, with one fan tweet emphasizing,
“Ricky saints continues to prove Adam Copeland right. Ricky saints try’s to dress like the Rock. He is calling people jabroni in his promo like the rock &even doing a concert promo. This was cringe”
—Forbidden Door PodCast, March 4, 2026.
Behind the Scenes: Segment Not Created by Saints
Reports from Fightful revealed that the concert segment was not conceived or written by Ricky Saints himself, who has attempted to distance his WWE persona from The Rock’s established image. Sources within WWE NXT explained,
“said the segment wasn’t a Ricky Saints pitch or idea, and wasn’t written by him, as he’s tried to lean away from things on WWE TV that would draw comparisons to what The Rock has done on TV.”
Backstage Reaction and Future Outlook for Saints and Hendry
Internal reactions within WWE were largely mixed, described as lukewarm by insiders. However, company members do not foresee any long-term damage to Saints or Hendry’s careers from the backlash. The two wrestlers successfully shifted focus back to their in-ring competition with a strong showing at WWE NXT Vengeance Day, helping to realign audience attention on their ongoing rivalry.
Impact on Ricky Saints’ WWE Persona and Next Steps
The controversy surrounding the segment illustrates the challenges faced by performers navigating creative decisions in highly scrutinized environments like WWE. Ricky Saints’ experience underscores the tension between fan expectations and scripted content. Moving forward, Saints and Joe Hendry’s matches at WWE NXT events remain central to their narratives, with the focus returning to athletic performance rather than controversial promos.
Ricky saints continues to prove Adam Copeland right.
Ricky saints try’s to dress like the Rock.
He is calling people jabroni in his promo like the rock
& even doing a concert promo .This was cringe pic.twitter.com/tbIxbeGOfk
— Forbidden Door PodCast (@ForbiddenDoor_) March 4, 2026
