25-year veteran, underutilized superstar - 4 WWE stars who could follow Becky Lynch to NXT and become the top champion

WWE NXT was a major show this week. The main highlight of the card saw former RAW & SmackDown Women's Champion Becky Lynch challenge Tiffany Stratton.

Their feud was born out of an alleged slip-up by Tiffany, where she claimed that The Man was a former NXT Women's Champion. Once corrected, she apologized for ever claiming Becky held the belt but did so in the most insulting way possible.

From there, Tiffany and The Man had a handful of confrontations backstage, which ultimately led to the bout becoming official. In the end, the plucky newcomer couldn't overcome the experienced veteran, and thus, Becky Lynch became the NXT Women's Champion for the first time in her career.

Naturally, many fans are wondering which other main roster stars could one day return to NXT and become a top-level champion. This means capturing either the NXT Championship or the NXT Women's Championship. This article will look at a handful of fun options that could follow in Becky's footsteps.

Below are four WWE stars who could follow Becky Lynch to NXT and become a top champion.

---

#4. Tegan Nox is yet to win gold in WWE

Tegan Nox on Main Event.

Tegan Nox is one of WWE's most underutilized and underrated performers. She first began wrestling in 2013 and joined the biggest company in the world in 2017. She was unfortunately released in 2021.

Thankfully, Nox was re-hired upon Triple H leading WWE last year. Sadly, once Vince McMahon returned to the fold, Nox disappeared from television almost entirely. These days, the Welsh star can mostly be seen on Main Event.

Despite spending quite a bit of time on the former Black & Gold brand, Tegan never won a title on NXT before joining the main roster. The promotion could have her return to NXT and capture gold to kickstart a proper push on the main roster moving forward.

---

#3. AJ Styles went straight to the main roster

AJ Styles is a legend in both WWE and pro wrestling as a whole. He's been wrestling for around 25 years but has been with World Wrestling Entertainment for about eight. Interestingly, he skipped over NXT entirely upon signing with the promotion in 2016.

The Phenomenal One is currently a member of the WWE SmackDown roster. He is having some issues with his O.C. stablemates. Styles is also getting on the bad side of both The Judgment Day and The Bloodline.

If Styles wants to avoid drama with any of the three aforementioned factions, he could show up on NXT. He'd be the most experienced veteran on the brand, which immediately gives him an edge over most of the roster. Could Styles dethrone Carmelo Hayes and win gold on the third brand?

---

#2. Bianca Belair missed out on NXT gold

Bianca Belair is one of WWE's greatest stars. She's a multi-time Women's Champion, holding gold on both Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown. She has been responsible for much of the success of the women's division in recent years.

The EST of WWE is currently enjoying some well-deserved time off from the ring. She was written off via an attack by Damage CTRL. Still, Bianca is not completely out of the spotlight, as she is still making public appearances for the promotion.

Surprisingly, the 34-year-old never won gold while on NXT. She has achieved great success on the main roster, just like Becky, but the NXT Women's Championship has always alluded The EST. That can now be corrected, as Lynch has laid out the blueprint for Belair to follow.

---

#1. Nikki Cross hasn't had much of a push recently

Nikki Cross on RAW.

Nikki Cross is another underrated and underutilized WWE star. She has found some success in the past. Nikki is a multi-time champion and has held the RAW Women's Championship, Women's Tag Team Titles, and the 24/7 Championship.

Prior to late last year, The Twisted Sister had re-invented herself, and she became Nikki A.S.H., a superhero gimmick. When many believed that the persona ran its course, Nikki reverted back to being unhinged. While she initially received a fair chunk of television time, it has disappeared almost entirely over the past six months.

Given that Nikki isn't doing much in WWE right now anyway, a return to NXT could be the best thing for her. Plus, she never actually won the NXT Women's Championship despite vying for the title when Asuka was the champion.