Handful of NXT stars join Kevin Owens backstage at WWE SmackDown tonight

Tonight's episode of WWE SmackDown will be the last before tomorrow night's Royal Rumble and there are a number of stars from NXT backstage at the show.

According to the report from PWInsider, NXT's Tommaso Ciampa, Io Shirai, Roderick Strong, LA Knight, and Dakota Kai are all backstage at tonight's SmackDown show in Kansas City, MO.

Also reported to be in the arena is former Universal Champion Kevin Owens. The Prizefighter has recently been associated with tomorrow night's challenger for the Universal Championship Seth Rollins. Owens is also one of the favorites leading into the Royal Rumble.

---

This isn't Tommaso Ciampa's first appearance on the WWE main roster

Out of all the NXT talent mentioned above, former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is the one with the most experience on the main roster. In February of 2019, Ciampa appeared on RAW along with Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black and Ricochet. Unfortunately, a neck injury forced him to both relinquish the NXT Championship and take time off.

The other members of the NXT roster referenced - Shirai, Strong, Kai, and Knight - are all considered to be ready for a run on either RAW or SmackDown. It's possible that some of them, if they aren't a part of the Rumble match tomorrow, may debut tonight.

As the Royal Rumble is considered one of the "Big Four" WWE events, that they may debut on either RAW or SmackDown following the premium live event. All that being said, the company clearly has some sort of plans for these NXT standouts.

What do you think the company has planned for these NXT stars? Share your ideas in the comments below.