Former NC State All-ACC OL Joe Sculthorpe…I mean…Hank Walker…Signs WWE NXT Contract

You might remember Joe Sculthorpe as an All-ACC Offensive Guard (2020). That was the past. What is the present?

Learn his new name…Hank Walker…Professional Wrestler with the WWE.

Wrestling isn’t foreign to Sculthorpe. He was a North Carolina High School Heavyweight Champion out of Topsail High School (Hampstead, NC).

In March of this year, the WWE announced that 14 hopefuls had reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and Sculthorpe was 1 of the 14.

On June 8th, WWE trademarked the name “Hank Walker.”

He [Walker] made his in-ring debut with a loss to Von Wagner at the June 11 NXT live event in Largo, then came up short against Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo on the July 1 NXT Level Up episode, took a loss to Giovanni Vinci at the July 9 live event in Orlando, was defeated by Duke Hudson on the July 22 NXT Level Up episode, then failed to defeat Carmelo Hayes at the August 29 live event in Venice. (Link)

Sculthorpe’s (Walker) television debut was against Lorenzo on July 1st.

His next televised match was against Duke Hudson.

Sculthorpe lost his first two televised matches.

For the past couple of weeks, the WWE has had Walker (Sculthorpe) portray a member of the NXT Security Team, building out his story line, in which this security guard develops a beef with Javier Bernal.

All the beef led to a match between Hank Walker the Security Guard and Big Body Javy last night.

The WWE NXT fans have learned to hate Javy over the past 12 months, so the crowd was chanting “We Want Hank” as Bernal entered the ring. Sculthorpe’s persona Walker, walks out to no entrance music, in everyday clothes, to the crowd chanting “Hank…Hank…Hank!”

The commentators describe Walker as a developmental prospect within NXT, where many end up paying their dues serving as security. Walker was supposedly out of his depth against a NXT superstar like Bernal. But to the shock of the announcers, “security guy” Hank Walker (Joe Sculthorpe) won the match.

What followed after the match was legendary wrestler Shawn Michaels, who is now Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative, found Sculthorpe’s persona Walker, and offered him an NXT contract.

It will be exciting to watch Sculthorpe’s WWE NXT journey progress, and we will be along for the ride over here at Pack Insider, keeping you posted.