5 Possibilities for WWE/NXT Roster Shakeups

10 WWE Superstar Shakeup:  Moving WWE and NXT talent.

With the draft fastly approaching and the rumors running wild about certain NXT talent getting a call up, I thought it would fun to play a little fantasy draft game.  First I’ll touch on 5 NXT guys I want and/or think will be moving to the “main roster” and then we’ll focus on 5 WWE guys I think would serve NXT well with a move over to Tuesdays.

5 NXT to Raw/Smackdown Moves

No. 5:  Karrion Kross

I’ll start with the most obvious one.  He’s a guy that nobody thought would be on the NXT roster long.  He has the intensity in the ring that can make him a dangerous challenger to top baby faces.  He’s not a huge guy, but he’s big enough to stand toe to toe with the likes of Lashley, Drew and Roman.  The entrance is one of the best and his brutality makes you sympathize for the challenger.  He is a prototypical monster that we all know makes Vince salivate over.  I know a lot has been made about his entrance during the trial run on Main Event but I would have to think that all the bells and whistles wouldn’t be brought up for a show that doesn’t get that much exposure.  You have to save that for his real debut.  And please don’t take Scarlett away from him.  I’d hate to see she is necessary but I think for this gimmick, its necessary.  There is absolutely no reason he shouldn’t be a top guy on Raw or Smackdown, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough if that happens.  My guess is Smackdown, with an immediate feud with someone like Big E or Kevin Owens to establish him quickly.

No. 4:  Bronson Reed

And now the other obvious choice.  He has had two trial matches on Main Event alongside Karrion Kross and it’s only a matter of time before he makes the move over.  I thought he was gonna drop the title to Escobar at Takeover and then disappear from NXT, but that didn’t happen.  Now we will get that one on one match with Escobar before the monster leaves for the bigger stage.  I think he will thrive in the mid card.  Like Karrion Kross, I think Bronson has a great entrance that attracts attention.  It’s simple, but that music mixed with the towering Godzilla like entrance movie on the tron is brilliant.  I think his in ring work is a little under appreciated.  He can have good matches with wrestlers of all sizes and the big splash is always fun to see.  He gives the mid card a new fresh face that can have an immediate impact.  My guess is Smackdown, they are in need of some fresh faces for the Intercontinental Title picture.

No. 3:  Adam Cole

This one hurts a little bit.  I think it has been long over due and I really think it should have happened with the Undisputed Era.  I don’t know how much of an immediate impact Cole will make on the main roster with his size by himself, but with UE it could have been huge.  I think Cole is among one of the top 3 performers in all of WWE so they won’t be able to hold him back forever but after his run in NXT, watching him flounder around the bottom of the card just doesn’t seem right.  But none of that matters, because what’s done is done.  His time in NXT has passed.  He has accomplished everything there is to down there, and he has grown as a performer.  His stamp of approval from HBK should be all the reasons in the world for Vince to give Adam the green light as a top guy on whatever show he ends up on.  He can out wrestle most of the guys and he can hang with pretty much anybody on the microphone.  He’s over as hell and the fan interaction makes people emotionally invested in him.  I expect nothing less than a future multiple time World Champion for Adam but much like Kross, we’ll see soon enough.  My guess is Raw, they need talent that people care about, can deliver stellar matches night in and night out and a guy that can get fans riled up on the mic.  There is a lot of talent on Raw that can’t do all of those, or have become stale.

No. 2:  LA Knight

Another guy that I don’t think anybody expected to be on NXT for long.  He is in contention for best promo in wrestling right now which is a very important thing in WWE.  If you can talk, you’ll be on the show.  The only concern here is that NXT grants him a lot of freedom whereas Raw and Smackdown are more than likely going to hand him a script.  If they can trust him, give him some bullet points and let him just go though, he’ll do really well.  He’s a good in ring guy, not great but better than average.  He has a star quality about him, he just oozes superstar whenever he is on the screen.  Whatever show and whatever spot on the card he ends up on, he’ll be a factor.  Of this list, other than Adam Cole, this one makes the most sense to me just because of how much attention this man commands from the audience.  As an NXT guy, I selfishly wish he could stay for atleast another year but I just don’t see it happening.  My guess is Raw, alongside Adam Cole a new life could be pumped in to Monday Night with fresh faces like this that can entertain on multiple levels.

No. 1: Io Shirai

I didn’t expect to see Io return to NXT after dropping the title to Gonzalez.  She had accomplished everything and elevated herself to be one of, if not the best female wrestler in the world.  She can out perform any talent she gets in the ring with.  She proved she could hold her own against Sasha Banks and has never not impressed in her matches on NXT.  She has an entrance that demands your attention and then when the bell rings, she’s non stop action until the bell rings again.  It’s no secret that the Women’s Division on both Raw and Smackdown is in desperate need of new faces as both have went from being the cream of the crop to grasping to threads in the last year.  And whereas there are plenty of girls in NXT that could make the move up, I think Io is the one that not only makes the most sense but also the one that will have the greatest impact and overall career.  My guess is Smackdown, with all the releases this year the Smackdown roster is completely gutted.  Outside of the main event scene, the only girls we really get a chance to see are Liv Morgan and Carmella.  I can see a few others making the move up with Io but again, Io is the one that NEEDS to happen and will help the division the most.

5 Raw/Smackdown to NXT Moves 

No. 5:  Akira Tozawa

Now that 205 Live appears to be dead in the water and the Cruserweight Title seems to be a staple of NXT, they dont only need contenders that can perform at a high level but also have a little bit of name recognition.  Whereas Akira isn’t a household name, hes a guy that people have been seeing in the 24/7 Title picture for awhile now and he’s a familiar face to the Raw faithful.  We all know Akira can go in the ring, and having him come over would give us some great matches with Kushida, Roderick Strong, Tyler Rust and all the other wrestlers in that weight division.  And as we have seen during the 24/7 Title stuff, he can be a very entertaining character on screen.  

No. 4:  John Morrison

When John first signed with WWE a little while ago, I thought he would have been a perfect fit in NXT.  His ability in the ring makes him a perfect opponent for so many of the guys on the gold brand.  He has been entertaining for some of his run with Miz, but I think he could definitely be utilized better and he could also be a main event player on NXT.  I don’t trust Raw or Smackdown creative to give us anything meaningful with Morrison once he splits with Miz.  His veteran presence is enough to make the move to NXT great, but then I think of  getting a Johnny Takeover vs Johnny Takeover feud and it makes me want this to happen today!  I would note that his wife is over there as well but I don’t see her being a main stay for too long.  But if the plan is for her to stay in NXT for the long run, just one more reason to move him over.  

No.  3:  Dominik Mysterio

I didn’t think Dominik would end up being a full time wrestler when he made his debut.  He had a very select set of moves  and he did execute them perfectly, but then other matches happened and its just a rinse and repeat show with him at this point.  He clearly has some potential with his father being his teacher but he needs more.  He needs to hone his craft and get some more in ring experience if there is any chance for him to have a long tenure in WWE.  I don’t see him making it very long after Rey leaves and it would only be a matter of time before fans began to see through the act.  I say switch him over to NXT so he can get more time in the performance center, work some matches on NXT and get some tutelage from the likes of Triple H and Shawn Michaels to really form him in to a top notch talent.  He’s a young guy that can have a bright future so long as he’s not being fed to the wolves with such little experience.

No. 2: Walter

This one seemingly doesn’t fit this list. Walter isn’t a Raw or Smackdown guy. I know Walter has been on NXT a few times and some would say that he technically already is a NXT guy, but I think the time to make him full time is now.  I also know that depends on whether or not he makes the decision to move to the states, which he has stated a few times he had no interest in doing.  But during an interview with Samoa Joe leading up to the Tomasso Ciampa match, he made a reference that hinted towards making the jump.  Whatever amount of money it takes to get him over to the states, give it to him.  Even if the stay on NXT is a short one, it would help the overall NXT product by having him there and it would also help the casual fans become more familiar with the legend that is Walter.  And with Karrion Kross leaving for the main roster soon and no true threat after he defeated them all at the last Takeover, no name makes more sense than Walter.  A new big guy with the belt that can give us fresh matches with top guys in NXT that we all know will be great.  It is a no brainer.

No. 1:  Daniel Bryan

This one is a little bit of a fantasy booking, but it’s under the pretences that he will in fact re-sign with WWE like many believe he will.  It is also a thing that many WWE and NXT fans were expecting to happen after his loss at Wrestlemania.  He wants to face new challengers, NXT has them.  He wants an easier work schedule, NXT allows it.  He is not only willing but also happy to help put new talent over and NXT has an abundance of guys that would benefit from that rub.  His in ring story telling would be the biggest asset to the young guys who have yet to truly learn how important that tool is in the ring.  And we don’t need to discuss how great the matches would be with people like Gargano, Ciampa, Kushida, and so on.  It’s common knowledge how good Bryan is.  So here is to hoping he does eventually re-sign with WWE so that he can make a large impact on the future of the business.

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