Report: WWE NXT Planned The Diamond Mine Months Ago

This week's episode of NXT finally saw the long-awaited debut of The Diamond Mine.

Teased on the black-and-gold brand for months, the brand's newest faction showed up at the close of Tuesday's show and attacked Cruiserweight Champion Kushida.

Perhaps the most shocking development was the individuals involved in the group, with The Diamond Mine led by former Undisputed Era member Roderick Strong and Malcolm Bivens. The two were also joined by Tyler Rust and Hideki Suzuki.

According to Fightful Select, Diamond Mine has been in NXT's plans for months and the concept was established well before Strong 'resigned' from NXT back two months ago.

There had also been initial plans to debut The Diamond Mine much earlier than actually happened, but those kept changing in order to ensure the stable was given the opportunity to take centre stage on an episode of NXT. The group will be a part of the brand's increased focus on the Cruiserweight division.

Other members for The Diamond Mine were reportedly discussed but the report indicates that Tessa Blanchard or Parker Boudreaux were never considered for the group. Speculation about their involvement was purely driven by fans.