5 WWE Superstars who might surprisingly return to NXT

WWE NXT has been fostering numerous upcoming wrestlers since its inception in February 2010. The developmental brand continues to enhance new talent in front of fans as they vie to be a part of RAW or SmackDown.

In 2021, while WWE was still under former Chairman Vince McMahon’s helm, the brand was reintroduced as NXT 2.0 with a multicolored logo. It still managed to create breakout stars, though. Like Bron Breakker, who is the brand's current champion.

Come September 2022, "2.0" was removed from the branding, and its black and gold colorway was brought back. This is just one of the many significant changes Triple H made within WWE when he became the company’s Chief Content Officer.

Numerous stars from NXT have been called out over the years to join the main roster. Names like Shinsuke Nakamura, Charlotte Flair, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns to name a few. Others like Dean Ambrose (a.k.a. Jon Moxley), Rusev, Paige (a.k.a. Saraya), and Keith Lee have ventured outside WWE

Both RAW and SmackDown are rebuilding their respective rosters with such moves thanks to Triple H. While NXT is further sharpening WWE’s future stars, it sure is nice to see the black and gold fandom getting hyped up whenever the former superstars of the brand pay them a visit.

#1. Bo Dallas

Bo Dallas feeding Ryback with a clothesline

Many would agree that Bo's push during his main roster stint was lackluster at best until his release in 2021.

However, during his NXT heyday, Bo was the one who defeated then NXT Champion Big E to win the title. He became one of the NXT superstars to have held the title for the longest time in an impressive 280 days.

Currently, numerous reports about Dallas’ return are making the rounds. Wrestling analysts believe that this may be connected to his brother’s reemergence and a so-called Wyatt 6 faction being brewed.

In line with this, there were even speculations that Dallas may already be working with the company. It can be recalled that during this year's Extreme Rules, Bray Wyatt's Firefly Funhouse friends were brought back to life and some believe that Dallas could be hiding in one of the masks.

#2. Austin Theory

Yes, we know that he recently showed up at NXT on an episode ahead of Halloween Havoc carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase. But why? Some were guessing that he could be cashing in on his MITB contract for the NXT Championship at Halloween Havoc. It didn’t happen, though.

It’s plausible that NXT’s creative department is cooking up something for Theory and this might include Ilja Dragunov. Fans might recall that a huge brawl broke out between Breakker, Dragunov, and JD McDonagh during Kevin Owens’ KO Show and Dragunov emerged as the last man standing after the dust settled.

This was Theory’s cue to enter where he raised the briefcase while pointing at the hyped-up Dragunov. From the looks of it, Theory is eyeing the NXT Championship and could be waiting for Unbesiegbar to win it from Breakker at some point.

A probable reason for this decision is that he knows Roman Reigns was one tough cookie, not to mention a hot asset for the company. Also, a couple of unsuccessful cash-in attempts might have made him change his game plan.

The first was at SummerSlam as he received an F5 from Brock Lesnar before he could join the match. The second attempt was at Clash at Castle, where he was knocked out by pro-boxer and two-time world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

#3. Dexter Lumis

InDex reunion, when could it happen?

The silent and ever-persistent stalker of The Miz re-signed with WWE’s RAW brand in August of year. Since then, Dexter Lumis has been creepily following and attacking WWE’s long-time heel and his wife Maryse.

Prior to joining the main roster, one of Lumis’ memorable moments during his stint in NXT was his love story with Indi Hartwell. This led to them getting kayfabe married in an episode of the black and gold brand, not to mention that it was during this time where he said “I do” which are the first words he ever spoke.

The two reunited the same month Lumis returned to WWE, but it was short-lived, since it was learned that it was just Lumis’ way of saying goodbye to his wife before getting arrested. Before being cuffed and taken away by the police, he left a note saying, “Goodye Indi (for now…) I love you forever.” The note itself pretty much says that these star-crossed lovers will be seeing each other again, though it’s not certain as to when.

#4. Shotzi

Shotzi hosted this year’s NXT Halloween Havoc and is no stranger to such gigs as she already hosted the spooked-themed event in 2020 also. Both Mandy Rose and Bron Breakker retained NXT Women’s Championship and NXT Championship respectively and many would agree that Shotzi’s also a big winner for putting up an impressive show.

However, right before wrapping up the show alongside co-host Quincy Elliot, Lash Legend showed up arguing that she would have been a better host than the two of them. Just like any confrontation in WWE, it ended in a bit of a brawl where Shotzi laid a DDT on Lash before shoving her out of the ring. This resulted in them getting a match this Tuesday.

This could mark the beginning of Shotzi frequenting the stable or perhaps staying there for a while since she is exceptionally good at what she does. And yes, she finally got her tank back.

#5. Dominik Dijakovic

Could he be returning soon?

On NXT Halloween Havoc, a vignette showing a mask being burnt to a crisp was featured. Those who are familiar with the face cover immediately figured out who the promotion is teasing here – Dominik Dijakovic.

Shortly after the clip aired, Dijakovic tweeted that was a reference to the Brad Pitt-Morgan Freeman crime flick SE7EN. The post reads, “If you kill him, he will win. Become vengeance. Become wrath.” This after he deleted the entirety of his social media feeds except for the above-mentioned tweet. This pretty much confirms that he’ll be repackaged and a return to the promotion is looming.

For the uninitiated, Dijakovic wore the mask back when he was still T-Bar of the Mustafa Ali-led faction known as RETRIBUTION. After the not-so-well-received collective got disbanded, he and former RETRIBUTION teammate Mace got together, though this partnership did not last either.

It’s noticeable that Dijakovic/T-Bar has been missing in action on RAW these past few months. This could be in preparation for his return to black and gold. We’ll just have to wait and see what the leadership has in store for him upon his return.