5 NXT Superstars who can get called up to the main roster in the 2021 WWE Draft

WWE has announced that the 2021 Draft will take place in October across two episodes of Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.

The first night of the 2021 WWE Draft will take place on the October 1 edition of SmackDown on FOX. The second night will take place on the October 4 edition of RAW on USA Network.

The two-night event will see the WWE main roster shaken up as superstars are assigned to either the red brand or the blue brand.

It hasn't been currently confirmed if the newly revamped NXT 2.0 will be involved in this year's draft. However, there are certain names on the WWE NXT roster that's ready to be called up to the main roster.

Let's take a closer look at five NXT Superstars who could get called up in the 2021 WWE Draft.

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#5 Former WWE Million Dollar Champion LA Knight

LA Knight has had one hell of a year since signing with WWE in February.

Knight made his debut during the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day pre-show shortly after signing with the promotion.

His most memorable feud has been with Cameron Grimes and WWE Hall of Famer "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase over the Million Dollar Championship.

Knight defeated Grimes in a ladder match at NXT TakeOver: In Your House in June to capture the recently revived Million Dollar Championship. However, he quickly dropped the title to his rival at NXT TakeOver 36 in August.

Since then, the former IMPACT World Champion has floated around the main event scene on NXT, chasing the NXT Championship.

However, it has been widely reported that WWE is going with a "youth movement" for the revamped NXT 2.0, focusing on younger, developing stars.

At 38 years old, Knight seems ready and primed for the main roster. His physique and ability to talk is seemingly everything that Vince McMahon looks for in a RAW or SmackDown superstar. Therefore, Knight could be headed to Monday or Friday nights very soon.

#4 Former WWE NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne

NXT's Pete Dunne is currently one of the most featured stars on the developmental brand on Tuesday nights.

Dunne turned heel during NXT's Halloween Havoc special in October 2020 and aligned himself with Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan and, later, Ridge Holland.

This led to unsuccessful challenges for the NXT Championship against then-champion Finn Balor at events such as NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

In recent weeks, Dunne and Holland have ended their alliance with Lorcan and Burch, removing the team from their faction. However, the British wrestler remains firmly featured on the program.

Dunne has been a part of the NXT brand, be it NXT USA or NXT UK, since 2017.

It does feel as if Dunne is a far more polished performer, ready to step up to either Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown in the very near future.

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#3 Former WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar

Santos Escobar has dominated NXT since arriving on brand in early 2020.

Escobar won a tournament in May 2020 to become the interim NXT Cruiserweight Champion whilst Jordan Devlin was stuck in the UK due to the pandemic.

It was during the climax of this tournament that Escobar turned heel and formed Legado Del Fantasma with Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. Esobar would later unify the Cruiserweight Championship before dropping the title to Kushida in April 2021.

Since then, Legado Del Fantasma has feuded with popular NXT faction Hit Row. Escobar also added a female member to the faction in the form of Elektra Lopez.

With the feud between Legado Del Fantasma and Hit Row approaching a climax, this could pave the way for Escobar to be called up to the main roster during the WWE Draft.

#2 Former WWE RAW Superstar Austin Theory

NXT Superstar Austin Theory is arguably one of the brightest prospects in the developmental system.

Theory is currently a member of The Way faction with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. However, he has competed on the WWE main roster before.

Theory was called up to Monday Night RAW shortly before WrestleMania 36 as a client of Zelina Vega, joining Andrade and Angel Garza.

Theory teamed up with Garza to unsuccessfully challenge The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 36 at just 22 years old.

After briefly becoming a "disciple" of Seth Rollins, Theory moved back to NXT. However, he has recently been competing in dark matches before the recent broadcasts of SmackDown.

This could hint that the current NXT Superstar is set to once again receive a call up to either Monday Night RAW or Friday Night SmackDown during the upcoming WWE Draft in October.

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#1 Current WWE NXT Women's Tag Team Champion Io Shirai

Io Shirai has achieved it all in NXT.

The Japanese wrestling sensation is a former NXT Women's Champion and one-half the current NXT Women's Tag Team Champions with Zoey Stark.

In addition, Shirai has the main evented NXT TakeOver and is featured in the first-ever female War Games match at NXT TakeOver: War Games 2019.

After holding the NXT Women's Championship for 304 days, Io Shirai dropped the title to Raquel Gonzalez in the main event of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 1 earlier this year.

It was speculated that the former NXT Women's Champion could head up to the main roster, however, she ultimately stayed with the developmental brand.

This week, it was announced on NXT 2.0 that the Women's Tag Team Championships will be defended next week as Shirai and Stark face off against Toxic Attraction.

This could be the moment the strange bedfellows drop the NXT Women's Tag Team Championships, paving the way for Io Shirai to get called up to RAW or SmackDown during the WWE Draft.