There’s been a lot of buzz around several NXT stars moving over to Raw and SmackDown, especially in regards to SmackDown, since there have already been a few stars from the black and gold brand who have wrestled dark matches before the show in recent weeks. That hype will only continue with the latest episode of SmackDown, as according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer four NXT stars wrestled dark matches ahead of last night’s show. That included NXT Champion Karrion Kros, Odyssey Jones, Toni Storm, and Shotzi Blackheart, and we’ll have to wait and see if any of them pop up on the blue brand in the coming months.
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Storm worked a match against Blackheart, while Jones faced Robert Roode. Kross meanwhile faced Cesaro in a match, following up on his previous dark match on Main Event two weeks ago. There Kross faced Shelton Benjamin, though his partner Scarlett was also in action recently, as before last week’s SmackDown she faced Blackheart in another dark match.
On the same night, Kross faced Benjamin Bronson Reed wrestled a dark match against Drew Gulak, and with his recent loss of the North American Championship, many expect him to debut on one of the other brands sooner rather than later.
The same could be said of Kross too. Kross recently started his second but first real Championship run in NXT (he was injured the night he won it the first time), though at the recent NXT press conference for In Your House, he revealed that he won’t be in NXT forever. You could easily see both him and Scarlett moving to another brand, and it would bolster the men’s and women’s divisions simultaneously, so it’s a win-win. Plus, you get that epic entrance, so either Raw or SmackDown would benefit.
That also goes for Storm or Blackheart, and both Raw and SmackDown’s women’s rosters would benefit from their additions. SmackDown’s women’s roster is quite thin at the moment, even with the addition of Zelina Vega, so having Storm, Blackheart, or both on the show would instantly give it a boost. Raw’s in a bit better shape on that front, but not much better.
Jones meanwhile is more of a wild card. Jones signed with WWE in 2019 but hasn’t had much television time since. It seems WWE and NXT are still quite high on him though, and SmackDown or Raw could be a great showcase for him.
Who do you want to see move to Raw or SmackDown from NXT? Let us know in the comments or as always you can talk all things WWE or NXT with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
