Who is Kiana James? Meet the newest WWE RAW member following Night One of the 2024 Draft

Kiana James was a surprising name drafted on Night One of the 2024 Draft and the NXT star is headed to WWE RAW. The 26-year-old is one of the company's most exciting female talents and she'll get her chance to shine on the main roster now.

The former NXT Women's Tag Team Champion had impressed fans on Tuesday nights on the developmental brand. Current NXT star Shawn Spears and former WWE star Tyler Breeze trained her.

Kiana James made her WWE debut in 2022, although this was under the name Kayla Inlay, which is her birth name. She was repackaged into a heel businesswoman and given her current name, a role she's excelled in since.

The young superstar from Iowa won her first title in WWE in February last year. She and Fallon Henley beat Katana Chance and Kayden Carter at NXT Vengeance Day to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship.

Kiana James has experience opposing current WWE Women's Champion Becky Lynch. She was involved in The Man's feud with former NXT Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton.

The sky is the limit for James and RAW may be the perfect brand for her to flourish on the main roster. Her businesswoman gimmick could be a hilarious match for Chelsea Green's 'Karen' persona on the red brand.

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WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels' glowing verdict of Kiana James as the NXT star heads to RAW

NXT Head of Creative Shawn Michaels parted ways with two talents on Night One of the 2024 Draft. Carmelo Hayes was drafted to SmackDown during round one while Kiana James headed to RAW later in the night.

HBK lauded James for her constant improvement and backed her to succeed on Monday Nights. Mr WrestleMania shared a clip of himself congratulating the new RAW star and captioned the X/Twitter post with a message:

"Every time she steps between those ropes, @kianajames_wwe gets better and better. She knows how good she is, and now she gets to show how good she is every Monday Night. #WWE RAW #WWEDraft."

Shawn Michaels will hope to retain most of his NXT talent given how popular the brand has become as of late. One would expect GM's Adam Pearce (RAW) and Nick Aldis (SmackDown) to have their sights set on more developmental talent to bolster their respective brands.

James may know some familiar faces on the red brand including Indi Hartwell. The Australian star was similarly called up to the main roster during last year's draft.