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What's the story?
Earlier today, Wrestlingnews.co and PWInsider both revealed that four of NXT's top stars were backstage for tonight's Monday Night Raw, even claiming that they were on the script for the show. With one single tweet from the WWE, it's all been confirmed.
In case you didn't know...
Over the past year, NXT has been run by a select group of singles competitors. The developmental brand has built itself up around the guys like Velveteen Dream, the Undisputed Era, Pete Dunne, and more. However, four specific talents have stolen the spotlight on the Yellow Brand, both on Wednesdays and TakeOver weekends.
Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet, and Aleister Black have all wowed the WWE Universe throughout 2018, with all four men holding singles gold throughout the year.
Tommaso Ciampa, current NXT Champion, won the title from Black back in the summer, and Johnny Gargano recently captured the NXT North American Championship from Ricochet at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix in what was considered the match of the weekend and an early MOTY candidate.
Fans, critics, and wrestling personalities around the globe have pointed to these four men as the next stars of the main roster, and it seems the WWE agrees, as we'll be seeing them tonight on Raw.
The heart of the matter
On Twitter, WWE revealed that NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, and former champions Aleister Black and Ricochet were all backstage for Monday Night Raw.
Ciampa and Gargano, former tag team partners in DIY, were spotted with another recent tag team call-up, Heavy Machinery. Ricochet was caught speaking to fan favourite and new Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor. Aleister Black, of course, was by himself, doing his own thing.
What's next?
With the WWE confirming that NXT's top four have arrived, we can expect to see something huge tonight. Will we see an NXT invasion?
Will Ricochet or Aleister Black make a move for the Intercontinental Title? Could we see the reunion of DIY? We'll have to tune into Raw to find out, but regardless of what happens, this could end up being one of the best episodes of the Flagship Show in ages.
