Top 10 NXT Superstars who will join WWE's main roster in 2018

Aleiste
Aleister Black is one of NXT's most popular Superstars

Many NXT fans thought the glory days of the brand were over once the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor and The Four Horsewomen moved on to WWE’s main roster.

However, an ever-growing conveyor belt of talent continues to roll through the Performance Centre and Vince McMahon & Co. have more Superstars ready and waiting for a call-up than ever before.

The last 12 months have seen Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Elias, Asuka and many others make the switch from NXT to WWE, so that got us wondering who will be next to join them in 2018.

In this article, with honourable mentions going to No Way Jose, Lars Sullivan and The Velveteen Dream, we take a look at the top 10 Superstars who are almost certain to join Raw or SmackDown Live in the next 12 months.


#10 Johnny Gargano

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Johnny Gargano is a former NXT Tag Team champion

Johnny Gargano is one of the best in-ring talents in NXT at the moment, as proven in 2016 when the match between #DIY and The Revival at TakeOver: Toronto was named Match of the Year by WWE’s official website.

However, ever since he was shockingly attacked by former #DIY partner Tommaso Ciampa at the end of TakeOver: Chicago in May, he’s been on a losing run and hasn’t featured in many high-profile storylines.

He has a ready-made opponent to enter into a feud with once Ciampa returns from his ACL injury, rumoured to be around March 2018, and only after that will Gargano seriously be considered for a main-roster call-up.

When that happens, expect “Johnny Wrestling” to be part of the cruiserweight division on 205 Live. Or, better still, maybe he and Ciampa could settle their differences once and for all and wreak havoc together on the main roster as #DIY.

#9 Andrade “Cien” Almas

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Andrade Almas is the current NXT champion

Of all the NXT Championship changes over the years, Andrade “Cien” Almas’ victory over Drew McIntyre at TakeOver: War Games was undoubtedly the most surprising of the lot.

The third-generation Superstar had been on a losing run before he aligned with heel manager Zelina Vega in July 2017, and her presence at ringside kick-started a winning streak that led to a shock victory over McIntyre in November.

When you consider that the average Superstar spends 2-3 years in NXT before moving up to the main roster, you’d imagine that Almas, who made his in-ring debut in January 2016, will be on his way to WWE in 2018.

His character is a lot more developed than most on the NXT roster and, if reports are to be believed, his inevitable call-up was even considered by WWE officials as early as April 2017.

#8 Roderick Strong

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Roderick Strong failed in his quest to win the NXT Championship

Looking at previous NXT Championship storylines, if somebody loses a match for the brand’s top prize, it’s usually a sign that they’re heading for a call-up to the main roster.

It’s happened multiple times in the past with former champions, including Finn Balor, Kevin Owens and many more, and even with people who never held the title but challenged for it on at least one occasion, like Apollo Crews and Hideo Itami.

The only recent exception is Roderick Strong, who lost title matches against Bobby Roode and Drew McIntyre but, as yet, hasn’t moved on to become a full-time member of the main roster.

When it happens, the 200lbs former Ring of Honor star could even be called up to be part of the cruiserweight division.

#7 Ember Moon

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Ember Moon is the current NXT Women's champion

Ember Moon defeated Peyton Royce, Nikki Cross and Kairi Sane in a Fatal-4-Way match at TakeOver: War Games in November to win the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time.

Assuming she doesn’t hold the title quite as long as Asuka (523 days), it’s safe to assume that Ember will be joining Raw or SmackDown Live at some point in the next 12 months.

The current NXT Women’s champion has shown during her two years in NXT, and especially during her lengthy feud with Asuka, that she’s one of the best female performers in all of WWE right now.

There are plenty of dream matches waiting for her on the main roster – Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, Paige and others – and we’ll surely have seen some of them by December 2018.

#6 Drew McIntyre

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Drew McIntyre is a one-time NXT champion

If Drew McIntyre hadn’t have sustained a serious shoulder injury in his TakeOver: War Games match against Andrade “Cien” Almas, he would probably already be back on the main roster by now.

The former 3MB member joined the NXT roster in April 2017, three years after being released by WWE, and just four months later he won the NXT Championship from Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Brooklyn III.

He was reportedly set to move up to Raw or SmackDown Live just days after losing his NXT Championship to Almas in November, but the injury he suffered in the match will sideline him until around April 2018.

When he returns, it’ll be in NXT – he’s already set his sights on a rematch for the title – but it won’t take long before he’s mixing it up on WWE’s main roster again.

#5 The Undisputed Era

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The Undisputed Era debuted on NXT in August 2017

How long The Undisputed Era remain in NXT is anyone’s guess. Does Triple H see Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly as big attractions who will lead the brand for the next 12-18 months? Or will Vince McMahon want them on the main roster as soon as he possibly can?

Looking back at some of the previous big-name NXT signings, they all had different lifespans in the company’s ‘development’ brand before moving up to WWE: Finn Balor (24 months), Samoa Joe (20 months), Bobby Roode (14 months), Shinsuke Nakamura (12 months), Kevin Owens (5 months).

The way the relationship between NXT and WWE has worked in the past, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them dominate NXT for the next couple of years before joining the main roster, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise to see them receive a quick call-up.

Either way, we can expect to see Cole, Fish and O’Reilly “shock the system” on Raw or SmackDown Live one day, possibly in 2018.

#4 Aleister Black

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Aleister Black is destined for big things in WWE

If NXT does another set of ‘Year-End Awards’ in 2017, Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream will surely be up there as a Rivalry of the Year contender.

The bizarre storyline between the two was built around one thing: Dream simply wanting to hear Black say his name. It culminated in a brilliant match at TakeOver: War Games, where Black won before finally uttering his opponent’s name out loud.

Aside from his rivalry with Dream, the man formerly known as Tommy End has made quite the name for himself since debuting in NXT in November 2016, and he even had a match on WWE television, albeit only on Main Event, against Curt Hawkins in April 2017.

It’s a matter of when, not if, the Netherlands-born Superstar makes his way to the main roster. He’s only just getting started in NXT from a storyline perspective – he’s yet to challenge for the NXT Championship, for instance – but it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he’s fast-tracked to Raw or SmackDown Live.

#3 The Iconic Duo

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Billie Kay & Peyton Royce have been in NXT since April 2015

The main roster has had an influx of female performers from NXT over the last month, with Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville joining Raw and Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan and Liv Morgan receiving call-ups to SmackDown Live.

If you’d have been told in November that five women would be moving up to WWE television, almost everyone would have assumed that Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, known as The Iconic Duo, would have been among them.

However, the irritating yet likeable Aussies have remained in NXT, where they have been since they were signed in April 2015, and talk of them moving to the main roster has quietened since the debuts of Absolution and The Riott Squad.

Still, Billie and Peyton are bound to be on Raw and SmackDown Live one day and it’d be a major surprise if they were still in NXT by the end of 2018.

#2 The Authors of Pain

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Akam & Rezar are former NXT Tag Team champions

You only have to type the words ‘Authors of Pain’ into Google to see that the monstrous Akam and Rezar are destined for Raw and SmackDown Live at some point.

The top search result for the former NXT Tag Team champions brings up the words ‘main roster’, and it’s no surprise given how dominating the duo have been in their matches since debuting on television in June 2016.

AOP, guided by veteran manager Paul Ellering, have battled with almost every tag team possible on NXT – from The Revival and #DIY to American Alpha and SAnitY – and they even took part in the historic TakeOver: War Games match in November.

Perhaps 2017 was a little soon for Akam and Rezar, still new to the wrestling business, to be mixing it up on a bigger stage, but don’t be surprised if we see a few Super Colliders being thrown around on Raw or SmackDown Live in 2018.

#1 SAnitY

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SAnitY's Killian Dain has already appeared once on the main roster

If SAnitY don’t have “Vince McMahon will love these guys!” written all over them, then we don’t know who does.

The unhinged four-person group, consisting of Eric Young, Killian Dain, Alexander Wolfe and Nikki Cross, have tormented every poor soul put in front of them since they made their NXT debut in October 2016.

In any other year, they probably would've already been called up to the main roster, but with the likes of Sheamus & Cesaro, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose, The New Day and The Usos stealing so many shows in 2017, there hasn’t been a need for any new tag-team talent on Raw or SmackDown Live.

However, as is always the case in WWE, a new year brings new opportunities and 2018 will surely see Young, Dain, Wolfe and Cross make their way to the main roster.

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