WWE officially announces signing of Fergal ‘Prince’ Devitt

WWE, in a story on WWE.com, officially announced Monday morning the signing of Fergal Devitt, known to most as Prince Devitt. One of the most sought after free agents in the world of professional wrestling, the Irish-born grappler is now under contract with the biggest wrestling company in North America. Devitt will first report to the NXT developmental program in Florida, though it’s unknown when he will make his debut.

Prince Devitt's Real RockNRolla jacket puts Jericho's light up jacket to shame

Devitt brings a wealth of experience to WWE. Trained in England, Devitt has worked in the UK and Mexico but is most well-known for his time spent in New Japan Pro Wrestling. While in NJPW, Devitt earned massive popularity as well as numerous championships and titles. Devitt is a former three-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion and a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag team champion. Additionally, he is a two-time winner of the annual Best of Super Juniors tournament, an event which showcases the best junior heavyweight wrestlers in the world. Only a handful of wrestlers have ever won the BOSJ multiple times and he is one of only four non-Japanese wrestlers to win the tournament – the others being Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, and Ricochet.

Devitt is also the former leader of the notorious NJPW stable Bullet Club – a villainous group comprised of non-Japanese wrestlers which includes Karl “Machine Gun” Anderson, Doc Gallows, Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), and more recently AJ Styles (the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion) and Yujiro Takahashi, the group’s first Japanese member.

Devitt is well versed in many styles of wrestling, being able to work the fast-paced junior heavyweight style as well as demonstrating that he can be a heel during his time in the Bullet Club. He’s also well-known for colorful bodypaint, often picturing comic book characters and other famous characters.

Devitt's colorful body paint has become a highlight of his matches.
From left are Spawn, the Joker, Carnage, The Punisher and Venom.

With the addition of Devitt, the NXT brand is adding another huge name to its already impressive roster. Joining Devitt will also being Japanese wrestler superstar KENTA, whose signing was made known during a recent WWE tour of Japan. It’s also rumored that independent wrestling stars Kevin Steen and Willie Mack will soon join NXT as well. With all these huge names on the horizon, the future of WWE and NXT is looking brighter than ever.