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WWE NXT New Year’s Evil is right around the corner, and the brand will be looking to give the fans some exciting matches. In the main event, the NXT Championship will be on the line, as Kyle O’Reilly will get his second shot at Finn Balor’s title.
The whole card is filled with star-studded matches. Timothy Thatcher will look to prove his dominance in the Fight Pit in a match against Tommaso Ciampa. In the culmination of another heated feud, Rhea Ripley and Raquel González will compete in a Last Woman Standing Match.
Plus, Gran Metalik will challenge Santos Escobar for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, and Damian Priest and Karrion Kross will clash in an explosive bout to kick off the show.
Many Superstars will be looking to get a push on NXT following this show on Wednesday. On the other hand, with the Royal Rumble approaching, WWE might be looking to move some NXT Superstars to RAW or SmackDown.
With an action-packed night booked for NXT New Year’s Evil, it's time to take a look at five NXT Superstars who could head to the main roster following the show.
#5 NXT Superstar Damian Priest could head to WWE SmackDown following New Year’s Evil
Damian Priest has been one of the most consistent performers in WWE NXT for quite some time now. Priest signed with WWE in October 2018, and he has been competing on NXT ever since.
"The Archer of Infamy" made an impact during WWE Survivor Series 2019, and he quickly became one of NXT's brightest stars, Priest won the NXT North American Championship in 2020, and he had a decent reign with the title.
At NXT New Year’s Evil, Priest will face the undefeated Karrion Kross. While "The Archer of Infamy" could give Kross a tough time, "The Herald of Doomsday" will likely pick up a meaningful win.
Kross is in line for another push following his injury, and Priest could take the fall for the big man. So WWE could plan to keep Priest away from NXT after the match and have him enter the Royal Rumble.
Priest could then make an impact in the Men’s Royal Rumble Match. From there, he might move to WWE SmackDown. Priest has had a similar run on NXT like the one [Matt] Riddle enjoyed. As a result, fans could watch him get a major push on the blue brand.
SmackDown has a solid mid-card at the moment, and Priest’s inclusion could help balance the overall strength of the roster.
#4 Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa could move to WWE RAW following New Year’s Evil
Tommaso Ciampa has been one of the most successful competitors in WWE NXT. Ciampa has been a cornerstone of the brand as he has been competing on NXT for over five years now.
The former NXT Champion will face Timothy Thatcher inside the Fight Pit on Wednesday. The last time fans watched a Fight Pit match on NXT, Thatcher decisively defeated Riddle. After his loss, Riddle moved to the main roster, and he has become a prominent Superstar there. Ciampa could follow a similar path at New Year’s Evil, where Thatcher might defeat Ciampa and end his run on NXT.
While Ciampa has been reluctant about a move to the main roster in the past, he may have changed his mind. Ciampa can become a future world champion, and the company start building him up on WWE RAW following WWE NXT New Year’s Evil. So "The Blackheart" could take some time off television before his potential debut on the red brand.
#3 Former NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley could head to WWE RAW after New Year’s Evil
Rhea Ripley has proven her worth in NXT at a very young age. Her hard work paid off last year when she became the NXT Women’s Champion, and she defended her title against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36.
Ripley's run on NXT has been remarkable, but it seems like the creative team is running out of ideas for "The Nightmare." Still, at NXT New Year’s Evil, Ripley will revisit her rivalry against Raquel González in a Last Woman Standing Match.
Seeing how much González has grown over the past few months, it seems like NXT is ready to invest in "Big Mami Cool." With that in mind, Ripley could end up giving González a huge push by taking the loss on Wednesday.
Ripley has already done it all in NXT, and she might be better off if she moves to another brand. WWE SmackDown could be the perfect decision for "The Nightmare," as she could face several top competitors on the show.
With Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Bianca Belair on the blue brand, fans could see some big rivalries between the former NXT Women's Champion and some of these stars. Ripley could enter the Women’s Royal Rumble Match and instantly ignite a rivalry against one of these competitors.
#2 NXT Superstar Kyle O’Reilly could be a perfect fit on WWE SmackDown following NXT New Year’s Evil
Jey Uso, Karrion Kross, and Bianca Belair were some of the biggest breakout WWE Superstars of 2020. Another competitor who started to stand out as a solo performer in WWE NXT was Kyle O’Reilly.
The former NXT Tag Team Champion started getting some individual opportunities in NXT, and he got a push that reminded some fans of Kofi Kingson's rise in 2019. O’Reilly reached the NXT Championship picture, but he was unable to defeat Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver 31.
O’Reilly has earned another shot at "The Prince" and is title. Given the fact that Balor hasn’t had a great reign due to an injury, fans could see NXT give him the victory to make his run more memorable.
O’Reilly is a member of The Undisputed ERA, but WWE could split up the faction. O’Reilly could be moved to SmackDown, and he could make a major impact as a singles competitor on the show.
WWE could temporarily break the faction up and the door open for an Undisputed ERA reunion on the main roster later in the year. Since Adam Cole and Roderick Strong are entering the Dusty Rhodes Classic as a team and Bobby Fish is out with an injury, O’Reilly could benefit from moving to the WWE SmackDown brand by himself.
#1 NXT Champion Finn Balor could find his way to WWE SmackDown after NXT New Year’s Evil
Adam Cole and Roderick Strong entering the WWE NXT Dusty Rhodes Classic as a tag team could be a sign that Kyle O’Reilly will be moving away from The Undisputed ERA. On the other hand, it could also be a sign that he’s going to win the NXT Championship from Finn Balor at NXT New Year’s Evil.
Balor hasn’t had a great run as the champion on NXT, but he doesn’t have much left to prove on the brand. Instead, he could drop the title to a deserving Superstar on Wednesday.
Following NXT New Year’s Evil, "The Prince" could appear at WWE Royal Rumble, where he could immediately enter a rivalry against a top Superstar. Balor could end up on WWE SmackDown, where he might eventually have a great feud with Roman Reigns.
Balor can play an incredible babyface character, and that could help him get some major opportunities once he returns to the main roster. With Reigns as a great heel Universal Champion on WWE SmackDown, the company could look to move Balor back to the brand.
