WWE NXT GM Robert Stone Comments On Wren Sinclair's Controversial Battle Royal Win

Under the mask of AAA's Lady Shani, Wren Sinclair outwitted and outlasted 19 other women to earn an NXT Women's Championship match against Kelani Jordan at "WWE NXT" Halloween Havoc. The controversy surrounding Sinclair's victory, however, has now left "NXT" General Manager Robert Stone questioning whether her corresponding title opportunity will ultimately stand.

"I don't right now at the moment know where it goes from here," Stone told Busted Open Radio" following the events of Tuesday night's "NXT" main event. "So all my years of wrestling over 26 years in the industry, eight years in TNA, I've been through all the black and gold NXT, the 2.0 NXT, all the different versions of NXT. I've seen a lot of crazy things inside and outside of the ring, but nothing quite like someone stealing someone's outfit, sneaking into a building, and winning a match like this."

Stone recalled one similar instance when Dean Malenko disguised himself as Ciclope, a masked wrestler, to win a battle royal at WCW Slamboree in 1998. The victory secured Malenko an immediate shot at Chris Jericho's WCW Cruiserweight Championship. In Sinclair's case, a recent suspension from "NXT" led her to make her own sneaky entry into a battle royal for the NXT Women's Title contendership.

"Wren clearly was doing her homework, so props to her for that," Stone said. "But as you can hear the tone in my voice, I don't want to give her credit for anything because she's put me in this tough situation."

Kali Armstrong seemingly had Tuesday night's battle royal won after eliminating AAA Reina de Reinas Champion La Catalina, "WWE SmackDown" star Kiana James, and fellow "NXT" talent Lizzy Rain in succession. Sinclair, dressed as Lady Shani, then suddenly reappeared in the ring and dumped her out.

In Stone's eyes, a case for Armstrong to be the number contender over Sinclair could be made given the circumstances. Before he makes a formal decision on how to move forward, though, he plans to take time to consider all angles first.

"Technically, Wren won the match, technically won the battle Royal. She is suspended. So did she really win it?" Stone asked himself. "She dressed up as someone else. I'm still letting this all settle in. I need a few days. No decision is going to be made. We got [five] more days until Tuesday, until I am going to speak on this officially. Kali Armstrong, I feel like I owe her something because she was the number two in this. But would she have won this thing if it wasn't for Wren's shenanigans? I feel like I owe Kali something in this situation."

Stone suspended Sinclair last month after she ambushed Jordan, the reigning NXT Women's Champion, and struck a referee in the face on "NXT." Despite that, the GM acknowledges that the "NXT" Universe remains quite fond of Sinclair, so much so that they audibly cheered when she revealed her true identity in the aforementioned battle royal.

Stone further noted that he wants to keep those same fans happy. At the same time, he feels compelled to honor Armstrong, the technical runner-up, in some way, too. 

"This pickle that I'm in right now with this Wren and Kali situation, it's my first time dealing with it. I don't want to run before I jog. I need a few days to let it all sail," he reiterated.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.