Photo credit: WWE.com
Two of NXT 2.0’s top stars reportedly may be on the move to WWE’s main roster in the near future.
According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc’s Marc Middleton), there have been pitches within WWE for both Raquel Gonzalez and L.A. Knight to get called up to either Raw or SmackDown.
Fightful noted that while Gonzalez is “expected by most” in NXT to get called up, it is less certain with Knight.
It was also reported that there has been a pitch to call up Knight as a manager because of his top-notch mic skills, although it is unclear if that is a working plan or just one of multiple ideas.
The report on Gonzalez and Knight followed a Fightful Select (h/t Middleton) report that noted Imperium members Gunther and Marcel Barthel could be on their way to the main roster as well.
Recent booking decisions on NXT lend some credence to the idea that Gonzalez, Knight and Imperium could all be elevated soon.
Gonzalez, who is a former NXT women’s champion and a two-time NXT women’s tag team champion, reunited with longtime friend Dakota Kai to beat Toxic Attraction for the tag titles at NXT Stand & Deliver last weekend.
The celebration was short-lived, though, as Gonzalez and Kai dropped them back to Toxic Attraction on Tuesday with Raquel being the one to take the fall.
While Knight has never held an official title in NXT, he is a former Million Dollar champion thanks to a storyline with Cameron Grimes and “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.
Upon turning babyface, Knight became one of the most over acts in NXT, and he had plenty of fan support in his match against Gunter at Stand & Deliver.
Knight lost the match clean and was not on Tuesday’s episode of NXT, which could be a sign his run with the brand is over.
The fact that Knight is 39 years old means he was never a long-term fit in NXT, but he has an undeniable “it” factor that could make him a top guy on the main roster if WWE allows him to continue as a wrestler.
As for Imperium, the team of Barthel and Fabian Aichner seemingly imploded on NXT when Aichner walked out during their match against The Creed Brothers. Later in the night, Gunther lost cleanly to Bron Breakker in an NXT Championship match.
Aichner’s walkout and Gunther’s loss make sense if WWE’s plan is to call up only Gunther and Barthel, as Fightful reported.
On top of Gonzalez, Knight and Imperium, Tommaso Ciampa made it clear that his last NXT match was at Stand & Deliver against Tony D’Angelo, so he is main roster bound as well.
Although that is a huge amount of lost talent for NXT, the brand has done a great job at building potential stars from the ground up since transitioning to 2.0 in September, and this will give even more young performers an opportunity.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
