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The first night of the Superstar Shake-Up caused quite a few shocks throughout the world of professional wrestling and WWE, as many SmackDown Live superstars swapped Team Blue for Team Red. Now, nearly 24 hours later, we’re going to see the opposite take place as Shane McMahon and Paige get their own back on Monday Night Raw.
Championships are going to change brands and big-time names are going to make the transition over to the other team, but above all of that, we’re excited to see whether or not there are going to be any more call-ups. Following the excitement of Mania weekend few were expecting any more stars from NXT to pop up, but Drew McIntyre’s appearance has left many wondering whether or not SD Live will also receive a notable name from developmental.
With that being said, here are five NXT stars who we believe could appear on SmackDown Live tonight.
#5 Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas
During the first few months of his run in NXT, Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas looked like he could well prove to be the first major ‘flop’ of Triple H’s run in charge. His matches were perfectly acceptable but as a somewhat generic babyface, his work wasn’t resonating with the Full Sail crowd – and it was obvious that something needed to change.
As we all now know it did. The change eventually led to him winning the NXT Championship and putting on a Match of the Year contender with Johnny Gargano. Alongside Zelina Vega he feels unstoppable, and following his bout against Aleister Black at Takeover: New Orleans, he should be setting his sights on enhancing the SD Live product.
#4 Sanity
We may be cheating a little bit with this one, but we’ve decided to include an entire group – and that group is Sanity. While they’ve still got value down in NXT they could easily be utilized effectively on the main roster, as they could tear through anyone in their path. Of course, Eric Young is a great leader, but Nikki Cross really is the star of the team.
She could freak the hell out of the women’s roster on Team Blue, whereas the guys could take control of the tag division and challenge The Bludgeon Brothers. There’s so much potential for a big heel faction on the main roster, and while there’s a risk of them flopping under the guidance of Vince McMahon, we’re choosing to be positive.
#3 Johnny Gargano
In the last few months, Johnny Gargano’s stock has risen well beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. He’s always been a talented guy, but courtesy of his feud with former ‘best friend’ Tommaso Ciampa, he’s been able to enhance his character work to the point where fans are dying to see him tear it up with dozens of guys on Raw and SmackDown Live.
It’s been teased several times now, but it seems as if he’s more interested in chasing the NXT Championship. Of course, that could always be a diversion and either way we’re going to get some fascinating matches wherever he ends up.
Who knows, maybe one day we’ll get that Gargano vs Bryan showdown that we’ve been calling for over the last few months.
#2 Tommaso Ciampa
On the flip side of the last entry, Tommaso Ciampa’s loss means that he’s free to explore new ventures on the blue brand. It would mirror Kevin Owens coming up to the main roster while Sami Zayn spent some more time down in NXT, and then when Gargano eventually gets called up, these two can pick up where they left off.
Ciampa is a truly phenomenal heel and there are plenty of top babyfaces for him to work with. He’s been plying his trade for well over a decade now, and you could easily build up the idea of him having a massive chip on his shoulder. He blurs the lines between fact and fiction more so than most superstars in the entire company, and we want to see more of it.
#1 Velveteen Dream
The Velveteen Dream is one of the most interesting characters WWE has seen in the last few decades, and the best part is that he’s a product of their own system. At the age of just 22 he’s got plenty of years left in him, and while we’d prefer to see him lead the way in NXT for a few years, there have been rumors regarding a potential move to the big time.
We can’t stress how much we believe this would be a mistake, but alas, SD Live would be a much more entertaining place with Dream on the roster. Hopefully, if it happens, he can be built up slowly with feuds against some mid-carders before they push him into an even more prominent position.
