DarkState Turns on Saquon Shugars Following NXT Tag Title Loss

DarkState turned on Saquon Shugars at the close of this week’s NXT after Shugars and Dion Lennox came up short against Vanity Project in an NXT Tag Team Championship match. Osiris Griffin and Cutler James attacked a recovering Shugars while Lennox eventually joined the assault; Shugars briefly fought back before being taken outside and powerbombed through the announce table, with the remainder of DarkState standing tall as the show ended. WWE later posted footage of Shugars being helped to the back.

The backstage betrayal caps weeks of teased dissension, with Shugars reportedly upset that Lennox has prioritized singles opportunities over the group. DarkState debuted as a quartet in February 2025 and are two-time NXT Tag Team Champions — including their Halloween Havoc win over the Hardy Boyz — after Lennox originally held a title with Griffin and relinquished his half to Shugars in December to pursue singles gold.

Originally reported by Wrestling Observer: https://www.f4wonline.com/news/nxt/darkstate-kick-out-saquon-shugars-on-wwe-nxt/.