5 WWE Main Roster stars who might be worried about NXT stars appearing on their shows, and 5 who have nothing to worry about

When Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black, and Ricochet all appeared on RAW, the wrestling world started buzzing. But should the 'established' main roster stars be worried?

In professional wrestling locker rooms, there is a certain amount of consternation surrounding the idea that someone might 'take your spot' on the roster.

Bret Hart bemoaned it a great deal on the documentary Wrestling with Shadows, saying "They took my good guy job and gave it to Steve Austin, and then they took my bad guy job and gave it to Shawn Michaels."

While it's not a new concept, when you have a roster as deep and expansive as the one WWE currently lays claim to, there are bound to be some ruffled feathers and hurt feelings when new stars appear on a particular brand. That may be the case after NXT superstars Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, and NXT champion Tommaso Ciampa all appeared on the main brand of Raw.

Their appearance immediately set off a firestorm of speculation, both in the locker room and on the world wide web. Would these four talents be appearing on the main roster on a regular basis? Is this a sign that they will be called up permanently?

Should the WWE main roster be worried? There are five who might be, and five who have nothing to worry about.

Might be worried about NXT callups #1: Titus O'Neil

The man who slid into internet meme fame during the Greatest Royal Rumble is one talent who might be worried about NXT call ups appearing on the main brand.

Titus has been a mainstay on WWE's main roster for many years, but during that time has failed to accomplish much. He is usually something akin to comic relief, such as when he vomited after taking a giant swing from Cesaro. With NXT call ups coming at an ever increasing pace, his slow, plodding power style might leave him lost in the shuffle as smaller, quicker athletes take the spotlight.

Titus O'Neil certainly has more going for him outside of wrestling, so he does have some things to fall back on if his spot winds up taken by an NXT call up.

Has nothing to worry about #1: Andrade

Formerly known as the masked rudo (heel) luchador La Sombre, Andrade appeared in NXT sans mask at roughly the same time as more well known stars such as Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode. He was somewhat lost in the shuffle for a time, though he put on stellar performances until he teamed with manager Zelina Vega.

From there, Andrade's WWE career really took flight. He captured the NXT Championship in dominant fashion from the red hot Drew McIntyre and was rapidly called up to appear on the SmackDown brand.

Andrade definitely shouldn't be worried about NXT call ups; in fact, the chemistry he has displayed working with many of them is part of the reason he was called up himself. The future is bright for Andrade on the main roster.

Might be worried about NXT call ups #2: Baron Corbin

The WWE originally had huge plans for Baron Corbin on the main roster. They had intended for him to be an even bigger star on the big brands than a man who came up almost at the same time, Braun Strowman.

As we all know, Braun Strowman has gone on to have memorable feuds with Roman Reigns and the Beast Incarnate Brock Lesnar. Meanwhile, Baron Corbin has been put in a lot of odd roles and seems to be wrestling less and less.

With the prospect of NXT call ups on the horizon, Corbin might need to worry about his role being reduced further than it already has. The former NFL star and golden gloves boxer represents an older model of what a sports entertainer should be; namely, large, lumbering, and power based. With wrestlers becoming smaller and sleeker all the time, he might need to worry a bit about his spot on the roster.

Has nothing to worry about #2: Charlotte Flair

The offspring of the legendary Nature Boy Ric Flair was once one of NXT's brightest prospects herself. Supremely athletic, and possessed of every ounce of her famous father's poise and charisma, she has taken the WWE main roster by storm and helped to kick start the women's evolution in sports entertainment.

Charlotte has already piled up a number of accomplishments during her relatively short career. She was the one to decisively end Asuka's years-long undefeated streak, has main evented pay per views and main roster brand shows, and has one of the deepest move sets of any star on the roster, male or female.

Thus, she has little to worry about when it comes to her spot on the roster. If anything, an influx of new talent like Lacey Evans will just give her more opponents and more opportunities to strut her stuff, Nature Boy style.

Might be worried about NXT call ups #3: Dana Brooke

Dana Brooke was a fitness competitor and bodybuilder and thus brought a unique athleticism and poise to her role as a pro wrestler.

Signed to the NXT brand way back in 2013, she was heavily involved with other female wrestlers who have gone on to accomplish great things, such as Bayley and Sasha Banks--the first ever Women's tag team champions of the modern era--and the aforementioned Charlotte.

In fact, when she was called up to the main roster in 2016, she interfered in one of Charlotte Flair's matches, even stooping to wearing one of the Nature Boy Ric Flair's bejeweled robes. However, Dana has seen her role with the company slowly dwindle to the point of obscurity. Her most famous moment was probably losing to Asuka in record time. She might need to be worried about losing her spot on the roster with so many NXT call ups arriving and scheduled to arrive.

Has nothing to worry about #3: Daniel Bryan

As his longtime fans know, Daniel Bryan didn't just get a WWE contract out of the blue. He worked his way up through the independent leagues and Ring of Honor, where he was both World champion and Pure champion.

Many thought that Daniel Bryan was too small, too technical, and didn't have enough charisma to succeed in the WWE. However, those same critics had to eat their words as Bryan has become one of the most successful superstars on any of WWE's brands. His recent heel turn has been pure fire, so much so that he was offered, and accepted a three year contract extension. Bryan is so valued by the WWE they are even allowing him to book himself, a rare honor indeed.

Thus, he has absolutely nothing to worry about with regards to the NXT call ups. His spot is quite secure, and will be for years to come.

Might be worried about NXT Call ups #4: Heavy Machinery

When it comes to pro wrestling credentials, it's hard to be Heavy Machinery. Both Tucker Knight and Otis Dozovic were highly decorated amateur wrestling champions. Both are well over three hundred pounds and have the strength to match.

They were one of NXT's most popular acts in spite of never capturing the NXT tag team titles, and when they came to the main roster big things were expected of them. However, they seem to be appearing on television less and less, and recently they had their names shortened to just Tucker and Otis, which is a sign that the WWE is trying to simplify their characters so they will be more easily remembered by fans.

Heavy Machinery might need to be worried about the slew of NXT call ups taking their spot on the main roster.

Has nothing to worry about #4: Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been a fixture in the WWE since he first began his career at the tender age of nineteen. The son of hall of famer "Cowboy" Bob Orton, the third generation superstar has, in fact, exceeded his father's legendary status and is widely regarded as a much better in ring worker.

Randy Orton was the WWE's youngest world champion in history, and his memorable feuds as part of Evolution and against John Cena are well regarded by both fans and backstage management. While he has had some scandals in his career, he, by and large, has avoided the pitfalls suffered by many other entertainers who experienced a great deal of success at an early age.

He has little to worry about with NXT call ups taking his spot. Randy Orton's legacy, no pun intended, is quite secure in the WWE.

Might be worried about NXT call ups #5: Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler began his WWE career as part of the Spirit Squad, a troop of male cheerleaders who raised the fan's ire but didn't accomplish much else. They were famously defeated by D-Generation X and ceremoniously closed up in a box that bore the label "OVW," the abbreviated form of Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE's old developmental territory.

Ziggler would make it back to the main roster, and faced Batista in his first match under the Dolph Ziggler name. Eventually, he would even capture the WWE World title, though his reign was somewhat brief and unmemorable.

For a long time, Ziggler has been able to claim he is the best in-ring worker on the main roster. However, with so many NXT call ups who are just as gifted and athletic as he is, it might be time for him to be a little bit worried about his spot on the roster.

Has nothing to worry about #5: Shinsuke Nakamura

If you want to understand Shinsuke Nakamura, you just have to imagine combining the martial arts prowess of Bruce Lee, the charisma and enigmatic mannerisms of Michael Jackson, and the wrestling ability of Antonio Inoki.

The king of strong style turned a lot of heads when he signed with WWE, and was easily the most popular star on any of the various brands before his oddly conceived heel turn at Wrestlemania 34, where he lost to AJ Styles in a WWE Championship match.

There seems to be a lot of interest in Nakamura from New Japan Pro-Wrestling and All Elite Wrestling, but most signs point toward Nakamura remaining with the WWE. Given his unique skill set and persona, he has little to fear from NXT call ups. In fact, many fans salivate about the prospect of matches between Nakamura and such NXT stars as Aleister Black and Johnny Gargano.

There you have it; Five stars who might need to be worried about NXT call ups taking their spots, and five who have nothing to worry about at all. Questions or comments? Please leave them below the article and as always thanks for reading!

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