Sanity (stylized as SAni†Y or SAnitY) was a

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

consisting of Alexander Wolfe, Eric Young (leader),

Killian Dain Damian Mackle (born 20 February 1985) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name Killian Dain and since his departure from WWE he has reverted back to his ring name on the i ...

Sawyer Fulton Jacob Southwick (born April 2, 1990) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling under the ring name Madman Fulton, where he was a former member of OVE ( Ohio Versus Everything). He also wrestled in WWE on thei ...

and

Nikki Cross Nicola Glencross (born 21 April 1989) is a Scottish professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where she performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Nikki Cross. She is a one-time WWE Raw Women's Champion, three-time WWE Women's Tag Tea ...

. The stable originated on October 12, 2016, originally composed of Young, Wolfe, Cross, and Fulton. After Fulton suffered an injury the following month, he was replaced by Dain on January 18, 2017. Young and Wolfe are former NXT Tag Team Champions, having won the titles at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III by defeating

The Authors of Pain Legion of Pain are a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani. They are best known for their time in WWE as the Authors of Pain, under the ring names Akam and Rezar, where they are former one-time Raw Tag Tea ...

. On April 17, 2018, as Sanity was called up to ''SmackDown'' during the

2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up The 2018 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the twelfth WWE draft, produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between the Raw and SmackDown brands. Instead of a traditional draft, changes between the brands were made behind the scene ...

, it was revealed that Cross would be staying on

NXT NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...

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 during

2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up The 2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up was the thirteenth WWE draft – and the last to be branded as the Superstar Shake-up – produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE between the Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brands. Instead of ...

thus ending the group.

History

Origins

According to original member

, Sanity's concept came from

Triple H Paul Michael Levesque (born July 27, 1969), better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler currently serving as the chief content officer for WWE. He is widely regarded as ...

, who was inspired by the film ''

Smokin' Aces ''Smokin' Aces'' is a 2006 American action comedy film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Robert 'Buddy Aces' Israel ( Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar boun ...

'', "long before 2016". It was originally pitched to Fulton, Solomon Crowe, and Marcus Louis, but this incarnation never came to be, as, according to Fulton: "we tried a few things but it did not fit. Then

rowe Rowe may refer to: Places * Rowe, Massachusetts, U.S. *Rowe, New Mexico, U.S. *Rowes Bay, Queensland, a suburb of Townsville Australia *Rowe, now Rówek, Poland Other *Rowe (surname) *Rowe (musician), solo project of Becky Louise Filip, former me ...

left the company and Marcus was fired, so I was alone again."

NXT (2016–2018)

The concept was brought back after Fulton was randomly paired up with Alexander Wolfe in a match against

The Hype Bros The Hype Bros was an American professional wrestling tag team which performed in WWE on its SmackDown brand. The team, composed of Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley, was formed in June 2015 on the development territory, NXT. History NXT (2015–201 ...

at a

live event A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive du ...

, as the two enjoyed working with each other. After a series of cryptic vignettes teasing the stable, it was announced on October 4, 2016 that "Sanity" would be part of the second annual

Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is an annual professional wrestling tag team tournament held by the American promotion WWE, and is featured on its NXT brand, having first been established in 2015. In subsequent years, wrestlers from the NXT UK a ...

tournament, although the nature of the group and the identity of its members remained anonymous. In the first round of the tournament on the October 12 episode of ''

'', the stable made their debut, appearing as four hooded individuals. Wolfe and Fulton were the first to unmask, and faced the team of

Tye Dillinger Ronnie William Arneill (born February 19, 1981) is a Canadian professional wrestler and professional wrestling trainer currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) under the ring name Shawn Spears, where he is a current member of The Pinnacle ...

and

Bobby Roode Robert Francis Roode Jr. (born May 11, 1976) is a Canadian professional wrestler signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand. He is currently inactive due to undergoing neck surgery. Roode is known for his 12-year tenure for Total Nonst ...

, 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 faced

Samoa Joe Nuufolau Joel Seanoa (born March 17, 1979), is an American professional wrestler better known by the ring name Samoa Joe who is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Joe is currently a double champion - in his first reign both as AE ...

on May 4 while not under contract. The following week on the October 19 episode of ''NXT'', Cross made her in-ring debut against

Danielle Kamela Danielle Sierra Kamela (born March 18, 1988) is an American professional wrestler and actress. She previously worked for WWE under the name Vanessa Borne. Early life Kamela was born to parents of Samoan, Polish, Chinese, German, and Irish descen ...

; she originally won the match, but continued to assault Kamela afterwards, forcing the referee to reverse his decision. Wolfe and Fulton went on to defeat T. J. Perkins and

Kota Ibushi is a Japanese professional wrestler and martial artist signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), but is currently inactive due to suffering a shoulder injury. In March 2021, he became the company's inaugural IWGP World Heavyweight Champion by ...

in the second round of the tournament on November 2, but were eliminated by TM61 in the semi-finals on November 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 attacking No Way Jose but he threw away Fulton's jacket. 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. Fulton never re-appeared on television, and was ultimately released by WWE on November 3, 2017. He later praised Dain as his replacement, calling him "a great person and great fighter." At NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Young defeated Dillinger, while Cross was unsuccessful in capturing the

NXT Women's Championship The NXT Women's Championship is a women's professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on April 5, 2013, t ...

in a

Fatal 4-Way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

won by defending champion Asuka. Dillinger continued his feud with Sanity, gaining new allies with No Way Jose,

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...

, and the debuting

Ruby Riott Dori Elizabeth Prange ( ; born January 9, 1991) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to orld Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where she performs under the ring name Ruby Riot. Prange has also worked in World Wonder Ring Stardom (a ...

. The eight-people feud culminated at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, where Sanity defeated Dillinger, Strong, Riott and Kassius Ohno (a replacement for Jose, who was attacked earlier in the night by Sanity). Sanity's feud with Dillinger ended on the April 19, 2017 episode of ''NXT'', when Dillinger, who had recently been drafted to ''

SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

'', had his last NXT match, he defeated Young in a

steel cage match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

. At NXT TakeOver: Chicago, Young suffered his first pinfall defeat to Roderick Strong whilst Nikki Cross once again failed to win the women's title in a

triple threat match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or " gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

against Asuka and Riott. After a series of confrontations between Sanity and the NXT Tag Team Champions

throughout July, it was announced on August 2, that Dain and Wolfe would face the champions for the title at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. 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. Following the celebration, they were attacked by

Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed E ...

and or AND may refer to: Logic, grammar, and computing * Conjunction (grammar), connecting two words, phrases, or clauses * Logical conjunction in mathematical logic, notated as "∧", "⋅", "&", or simple juxtaposition * Bitwise AND, a boolea ...

Kyle O'Reilly Kyle Edward Greenwood (born March 1, 1987) is a Canadian professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) where he performs under the ring name Kyle O'Reilly. He is also known for his time in Ring of Honor (ROH) from 2009 to 20 ...

, who formed the new stable

The Undisputed Era The Undisputed Era was a professional wrestling stable from WWE's NXT brand. It formed on August 19, 2017 at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III shortly after Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly signed with WWE, although Fish and O'Reilly had ...

with

Adam Cole Austin Kirk Jenkins (born July 5, 1989) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Adam Cole. He is also known for his tenures with WWE and Ring of Honor (ROH). C ...

later the same night. Dain subsequently also defended the titles under the

Freebird Rule The Fabulous Freebirds were a professional wrestling tag team who attained fame in the 1980s, performing into the 1990s. The team usually consisted of three wrestlers, although in different situations and points in its history, just two performed ...

, but was not recognised as champion. On the September 20 episode of ''NXT'', Sanity helped

Drew McIntyre Andrew McLean Galloway IV (born 6 June 1985) is a Scottish professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Drew McIntyre. McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, one-time WWE I ...

against The Undisputed Era, thus turning the stable

face The face is the front of an animal's head that features the eyes, nose and mouth, and through which animals express many of their emotions. The face is crucial for human identity, and damage such as scarring or developmental deformities may aff ...

in the process. At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, Young, Wolfe and Dain faced The Undisputed Era and the team of The Authors of Pain and Roderick Strong in a

WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of either four, five, or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not ...

, the first one in 20 years, but ultimately lost when Young was pinned by Cole. On the December 20 episode of ''NXT'', Young and Dain lost the NXT Tag Team Championship to Fish and O'Reilly. At NXT TakeOver: New Orleans on April 7, 2018, Dain unsuccessfully competed in a six-man

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

to determine the inaugural

NXT North American Champion The NXT North American Championship is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is primarily defended as the secondary men's championship of the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmenta ...

against EC3,

Lars Sullivan Dylan Miley (born July 6, 1988) is an American retired professional wrestler best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Lars Sullivan. He joined WWE in 2013 and spent several years training at the WWE Performance Center before making hi ...

, Ricochet,

Velveteen Dream Patrick Clark Jr. (born August 19, 1995) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE where he performed under the ring name Velveteen Dream. Clark began his professional wrestling career in 2014, when he debuted in ...

and eventual winner Adam Cole.

Move to main roster and break-up (2018–2019)

On the April 17, 2018 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', a vignette aired to promote Sanity's debut as part of the

. 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 on ''SmackDown Live'' beating down

The Usos The Usos (born August 22, 1985) are an American professional wrestling tag team composed of twin brothers Joshua Samuel Fatu and Jonathan Solofa Fatu, who are known professionally by their respective ring names Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso. They ar ...

prior to their scheduled tag match, turning back to heels. At Extreme Rules, Sanity defeated The 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. On the April 2, 2019 episode of ''SmackDown Live'', all three members of Sanity were defeated by

The Miz Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fa ...

in a handicap falls count anywhere match. A

WWE.com World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

article blamed their lack of success on ''SmackDown'' on being "in the same division as The New Day, The Bar, The Usos and

The Bludgeon Brothers Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, later known as the Bludgeon Brothers, were a professional wrestling tag team in WWE. They were also known as being members of the cult faction The Wyatt Family, led by Bray Wyatt. After work at house shows from June ...

." The team disbanded in April 2019 when Young was drafted to Raw via the Superstar Shake-up. Dain praised Young and Wolfe as well as the group's tenure in a social media post the following day. Dain returned to

at a

on May 16. Wolfe appeared on the June 12, 2019 episode of ''

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' is a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, th ...

'', where he joined the

Imperium In ancient Rome, ''imperium'' was a form of authority held by a citizen to control a military or governmental entity. It is distinct from '' auctoritas'' and '' potestas'', different and generally inferior types of power in the Roman Republic a ...

stable. Young competed primarily on ''

Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' while sporadically being on ''Raw''. On April 15, 2020, Young was released from his contract due to budget cuts as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. On May 19, 2021, Wolfe was released from his contract. The following month on June 25, Dain was released from his contract thus leaving Cross the sole member to be employed by WWE.

Independent circuit (2022)

On October 8, 2022, Eric Young and

Axel Tischer Axel Tischer (born 5 November 1986), is a German professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in WWE, where he performed under the ring name, Alexander Wolfe. Under his real name, Tischer competed on the European independent circuit. Du ...

reunited as Sanity to compete in

Westside Xtreme Wrestling Westside Xtreme Wrestling, commonly shortened to wXw, is a German professional wrestling promotion based in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. wXw has been one of the leading professional wrestling promotions in Germany, and most of its eve ...

's wXw World Tag Team Festival.

Timeline

Championships and accomplishments

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...

NXT Tag Team Championship The NXT Tag Team Championship is a men's professional wrestling tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion WWE. It is defended on the NXT brand division, the promotion's developmental territory. Introduced on January 2 ...

( 1 time) – Wolfe and Young¹ **

NXT Year-End Award The NXT Year-End Awards is a concept used by WWE, where awards, similar to the Academy, Grammy and WWE's own Slammy Awards, are given to professional wrestlers who have competed in NXT in the previous year. There have been five editions of the co ...

(1 time) *** Tag Team of the Year (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) – Wolfe, Dain, and Young ¹ Dain also defended the title under the

, but was not recognized as champion.

References

External links

{{NXT Tag Team Championship WWE NXT teams and stables WWE teams and stables Independent promotions teams and stables