Joe Gacy Talks Collaborating With Ava Raine On Schism Idea Before His WWE NXT Debut

Ava Raine has only been a member of Schism for less than a year, but the idea of her working with Joe Gacy dates back to at least 2021. During a recent appearance on "Out of Character," Gacy explained how he and Raine had worked on the idea of a cult-like group before "WWE NXT 2.0" came about.

"Funny story about Ava Raine. Before I even debuted on TV, me and her got together and came up with this idea of a cult-type group," Gacy revealed. "Originally, it was me, her, and this other guy. We were pitching for us — the original idea was almost a 'House of 1000 Corpses' type family group with a culty edge. But then things didn't work out exactly and then '2.0' started and that maybe changed some ideas."

Gacy continued, "So when '2.0' happened, I feel that idea went out the window because it was an overhaul repackaging of the brand itself. I guess the idea of her and me joining together was put on the back burner. Then when it was just me, Rip, and Jagger, she came up to me at the PC and said, 'Did you hear what's going to happen?' 'No.' 'I'm going to join you guys.' I said, 'That's awesome,' since originally it was going to be me and her trying to do something anyway. I'm glad it finally panned out on TV... She was a big part of the beginnings of the whole idea."

Gacy made his televised "NXT" debut in the summer of 2021 and initially portrayed a politically correct gimmick. In July 2022, Gacy revealed that Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler, formerly known as The Grizzled Young Veterans, had officially joined his onscreen cult. Raine then joined them by the end of 2022.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Out of Character" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.