# Rumor: WWE Reportedly Hid Montana's Call-Up From NXT Staff Label: RUMOR Promotion: WWE By WrestlingNews.com Rumors Desk Published Nov. 10, 2026, 12:30 AM ET Reliability: Single source, not confirmed Heat 2/5, chatter URL: https://wrestlingnews.com/story/rumor-wwe-reportedly-hid-cruz-montana-call-up-from-nxt-staff/ > Unconfirmed: Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE kept Cruz Montana's Nov. 2 Raw call-up so quiet that NXT staff were blindsided. Wrestling Inc and eWrestlingNews relayed it on Nov. 9. WWE has not commented. This is a rumor and it is not confirmed. Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE kept Cruz Montana's main roster call-up so secret that people in NXT did not know it was coming. Wrestling Inc and eWrestlingNews relayed his comments on Monday, Nov. 9. WWE has not commented. ## The quick version - Not confirmed by WWE. We found no WWE or NXT statement on how the move was handled. - Reliability: Single source, not confirmed. Both outlets repeat one podcast segment by Meltzer. Neither adds a source. - Heat 2 of 5. It is a behind-the-scenes detail about a booking, and it does not change what viewers saw. ## What is being reported Meltzer said, as printed by Wrestling Inc and eWrestlingNews, that nobody in NXT's creative group was aware Montana was being called up. He said they had "all kinds of stuff planned" for Montana in NXT "literally up until the day he showed up on Monday." The wording is the same in both outlets. Wrestling Inc says the move was kept so secret that "seemingly no one in NXT's brain trust" knew. Neither outlet names a source for Meltzer's claim, and he does not say how he learned it. We did not hear the podcast, only the two written copies. Meltzer also gave a view on what one named executive knew. We left it out. It is his doubt about another person's account, not a reported fact. ## What we know for certain - Montana unmasked as the fifth member of The 946 on the Nov. 2 Raw in Brooklyn, per our results story. See [our Nov. 2 Raw results](https://wrestlingnews.com/story/raw-results-nov-2-page-wins-ic-title-montana-joins-946/). - He beat Dion Lennox in an Unsanctioned Match on NXT on Nov. 4, with The 946 appearing, per our NXT results. SI said it was his last night on NXT, per that story. See [our NXT results](https://wrestlingnews.com/story/nxt-results-nov-4-waller-retains-over-punk/). - Wrestling Inc says Montana joined NXT earlier in the summer after several years in TNA, where he held the World Heavyweight Championship twice. We did not check that. - The Nov. 4 NXT match came two days after his Raw debut. See [our Raw results from Nov. 9](https://wrestlingnews.com/story/raw-results-nov-9-punk-joins-team-usa-reigns-challenges-946/) for where The 946 stands now. ## What would confirm or kill it A WWE or NXT statement on how Montana was moved, or a second outlet with its own sources, would settle it. **How we know.** Reported by: Dave Meltzer, on Wrestling Observer Radio, as relayed by Wrestling Inc (Eric Mutter) and eWrestlingNews (Ryan Clark). Both were read in full in the browser. We did not hear the podcast. Reliability: Single source, not confirmed. We did not contact WWE or Montana. ## Sources - Wrestling Inc (Eric Mutter), "Cruz Montana's WWE Main Roster Call-Up Was Reportedly Kept Secret", Nov. 9, 2026, 1:55 PM ET (Meltzer's quote, Montana's background). https://www.wrestlinginc.com/2311232/wwe-cruz-montana-main-roster-call-up-kept-secret/ - eWrestlingNews (Ryan Clark), "Report - WWE Went To Great Lengths To Keep Cruz Montana's Main Roster Call-Up A Secret", Nov. 9, 2026 (the same quote). https://www.ewrestlingnews.com/news/wwe/report-wwe-went-to-great-lengths-to-keep-cruz-montanas-main-roster-call-up-a-secret - Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, episode of about Nov. 8 or 9, 2026. No link: we did not open or hear it and neither outlet linked it. - WrestlingNews.com, "Raw Results: Ethan Page Wins IC Title, Cruz Montana Joins 946", Nov. 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/raw-results-nov-2-page-wins-ic-title-montana-joins-946/ - WrestlingNews.com, "NXT Results: Waller Retains Over Punk as Owens Interferes", Nov. 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/nxt-results-nov-4-waller-retains-over-punk/ - WrestlingNews.com, "Raw Results: Punk Joins Team USA, Reigns Challenges 946", Nov. 10, 2026. https://wrestlingnews.com/story/raw-results-nov-9-punk-joins-team-usa-reigns-challenges-946/ - Reliability: Single source, not confirmed. - WrestlingNews.com staff reporting: read two outlets' copies of one podcast segment and checked the facts about Montana against our own results stories. We did not contact WWE or Montana. How we credit sources: [Editorial standards](https://wrestlingnews.com/editorial-standards/).