| Sanity | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) SAnitY in 2017. In front of the ropes: Eric Young (right) and Killian Dain (left), with Alexander Wolfe on the left talking to Nikki Cross outside the ring | |
| Stable | |
| Members | Eric Young (Leader) Alexander Wolfe/Axel Tischer Killian Dain/Big Damo Sawyer Fulton/Madman Fulton Nikki Cross |
| Debut | October 12, 2016 |
| Years active | 2016–2019 2022–present |
Sanity (stylized asSAni†Y orSAnitY) is aprofessional wrestlingstable best known for their time inWWE. The stable consisted of leaderEric Young,Axel Tischer (then known as Alexander Wolfe),Madman Fulton (then known as Sawyer Fulton),Nikki Cross, andBig Damo (then known as Killian Dain).
The stable originated on October 12, 2016, originally composed of Young, Wolfe, Cross, and Fulton. After Fulton suffered an injury the following month, eventually getting released from WWE, he was replaced by Dain on January 18, 2017. Young and Wolfe are formerNXT Tag Team Champions, having won the titles atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III by defeating theAuthors of Pain. On April 17, 2018, as Sanity was called up toSmackDown during the2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up, it was revealed that Cross would be staying onNXT as a singles competitor, thus splitting her from the group. Dain revealed during a Q&A that Cross would remain a member of Sanity despite the separation. On April 15, 2019, Young was drafted to Raw during2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up thus ending the group. However, Young and Wolfe (now known under his real name, Axel Tischer) has made some sporadic reunions as a tag team since 2022.
According to original memberSawyer Fulton, Sanity's concept came fromTriple H, who was inspired by the filmSmokin' Aces, "long before 2016".[1] It was originally pitched to Fulton,Solomon Crowe, andMarcus Louis, but this incarnation never came to be, as, according to Fulton: "we tried a few things but it did not fit. Then [Crowe] left the company and Marcus was fired, so I was alone again."[1]
The concept was brought back after Fulton was randomly paired up with Alexander Wolfe in a match against theHype Bros at alive event, as the two enjoyed working with each other.[1] After a series of cryptic vignettes teasing the stable, it was announced on October 4, 2016, that "Sanity" would be part of the second annualDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, although the nature of the group and the identity of its members remained anonymous.[2] In the first round of the tournament on the October 12 episode ofNXT, the stable made their debut, appearing as four hooded individuals. Wolfe and Fulton were the first to unmask, and faced the team ofTye Dillinger andBobby Roode, winning their first round match after Roode walked out on his partner. After the match, Eric Young and Nikki Cross revealed themselves as the last two members of the stable; it was Young's debut as an NXT wrestler, although he had previously facedSamoa Joe on May 4 while not under contract.[3][4][5][6]
The following week on the October 19 episode ofNXT, Cross made her in-ring debut againstDanielle Kamela; she originally won the match, but continued to assault Kamela afterwards, forcing the referee to reverse his decision.[7] Wolfe and Fulton went on to defeatT. J. Perkins andKota Ibushi in the second round of the tournament on November 2, but were eliminated byTM61 in the semi-finals on November 9.[8][9]
Shortly after the tournament, Fulton suffered a torn pectoral. He was subsequently written off. On November 30, after Sanity teased that Fulton was no longer associated with the group after Young stomped on Fulton's jacket before kicking it out of the ring, Damo was teased as a potential new member of Sanity by attackingNo Way Jose but he threw away Fulton's jacket.[10] On January 18, right after Tye Dillinger refused to join Sanity, Damo, now using the name Killian Dain, officially joined the group by attacking Dillinger and accepting Fulton's jacket.[11] Fulton never re-appeared on television, and was ultimately released by WWE on November 3, 2017.[12] He later praised Dain as his replacement, calling him "a great person and great fighter."[1]
AtNXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Young defeated Dillinger, while Cross was unsuccessful in capturing theNXT Women's Championship in aFatal 4-Way match won by defending championAsuka.[13][14] Dillinger continued his feud with Sanity, gaining new allies with No Way Jose,Roderick Strong, and the debutingRuby Riott.[15] The eight-people feud culminated atNXT TakeOver: Orlando, where Sanity defeated Dillinger, Strong, Riott andKassius Ohno (a replacement for Jose, who was attacked earlier in the night by Sanity).[16] Sanity's feud with Dillinger ended on the April 19, 2017 episode ofNXT, when Dillinger, who had recently been drafted toSmackDown, had his last NXT match, he defeated Young in asteel cage match.[17] AtNXT TakeOver: Chicago, Young suffered his first pinfall defeat to Roderick Strong whilst Nikki Cross once again failed to win the women's title in atriple threat match against Asuka and Riott.[18][19]
After a series of confrontations between Sanity and theNXT Tag Team ChampionsAuthors of Pain throughout July, it was announced on August 2, that Dain and Wolfe would face the champions for the title atNXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III.[20] At the event, Wolfe started the match, but instead of tagging Dain in, tagged Young, effectively making him his partner; Wolfe and Young defeated The Authors of Pain, becoming NXT Tag Team Champions.[21] Following the celebration, they were attacked byBobby FishandKyle O'Reilly, who formed the new stableThe Undisputed Era withAdam Cole later the same night.[22] Dain subsequently also defended the titles under theFreebird Rule, but was not recognised as champion.
On the September 20 episode ofNXT, Sanity helpedDrew McIntyre against The Undisputed Era, thus turning the stableface in the process.[23] AtNXT TakeOver: WarGames, Young, Wolfe and Dain faced The Undisputed Era and the team of The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong in aWarGames match, the first one in 20 years, but ultimately lost when Young was pinned by Cole.[24][25]
On the December 20 episode ofNXT, Young and Dain lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Fish and O'Reilly.[26] AtNXT TakeOver: New Orleans on April 7, 2018, Dain unsuccessfully competed in a six-manladder match to determine the inauguralNXT North American Champion againstEC3,Lars Sullivan,Ricochet,Velveteen Dream and eventual winner Adam Cole.[27]
On the April 17, 2018 episode ofSmackDown Live, a vignette aired to promote Sanity's debut as part of the2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up. Later in the night it was revealed that Cross would be staying on NXT as a singles competitor. On June 19, Sanity made their debut onSmackDown Live beating downThe Usos prior to their scheduled tag match, turning back to heels.[28] AtExtreme Rules, Sanity defeatedThe New Day in a six-man tag team tables match. Following that win, the stable was nearly completely absent from television for the remainder of the year (though they did make an appearance on an episode of SmackDown from Manchester, England, where Cross temporarily rejoined them in making her main-roster debut answering an open challenge from SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch). On the April 2, 2019 episode ofSmackDown Live, all three members of Sanity were defeated byThe Miz in a handicap falls count anywhere match.[29] AWWE.com article blamed their lack of success onSmackDown on being "in the same division as The New Day,The Bar, The Usos andThe Bludgeon Brothers."[30]
The team disbanded in April 2019 when Young was drafted toRaw via theSuperstar Shake-up.[31] Dain praised Young and Wolfe as well as the group's tenure in a social media post the following day.[32] Dain returned toNXT at alive event on May 16.[33] Wolfe appeared on the June 12, 2019 episode ofNXT UK, where he joined theImperium stable.[34] Young competed primarily onMain Event while sporadically being onRaw.
On April 15, 2020, Young was released from his contract due to budget cuts as a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[35] On May 19, 2021, Wolfe was released from his contract.[36] The following month on June 25, Dain was released from his contract thus leaving Cross the sole member to be employed by WWE.[37]Fightful Select reported on April 10, 2023, that Young had re-signed with the WWE on November 1, 2022, but never appeared on television before being released again per his own request.[38]
On October 8, 2022,Eric Young andAxel Tischer reunited as Sanity to compete inWestside Xtreme Wrestling's wXw World Tag Team Festival.[39]
1 Dain also defended the title under theFreebird Rule, but was not recognized as champion.