WWE: Latest on Next Round of NXT Call-ups, NXT Titles Being Defended at SummerSlam 2023

By Connor Casey

WWE has recently changed its outlook on the NXT brand. While the show was originally positioned as a legitimate third brand alongside Raw and SmackDown when it made the jump from the WWE Network to the USA Network in 2019, the company stepped back from that idea with the NXT 2.0 reboot in 2021, emphasizing that this was indeed the developmental brand and not on the same level as the main roster. However, the company has pivoted back to its original idea in recent weeks with wrestlers like Baron Corbin, Mustafa Ali and Dana Brooke pivoting to the brand and Bron Breakker challenging Seth Rollins to a World Heavyweight Championship match on next week's episode. 

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WWE CEO Nick Khan outright confirmed the company's new position in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter — "We think NXT has the viability to be its own standalone brand instead of just being a developmental system – a third brand, if you will, where you can see cross-over from our superstars on Raw and SmackDown to NXT while our young talent develops there. Once we get all of that situated, then we will look at other nights of the week to develop new content as well."

Wrestling insider BWE posted a number of updates on plans for the brand this week noting that a few NXT call-ups will take place "soon," before noting that Breakker and Ilja Dragunov (two of the most obvious candidates) "will have their time before moving." They also noted that ideas are being tossed around over having two NXT Championship matches either during SummerSlam week or at SummerSlam 2023. WWE has only featured NXT championships on main roster pay-per-views twice — Adam Cole vs. Pete Dunne for the NXT Championship at Survivor Series 2019 and Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the NXT Women's Championship at WrestleMania 36. Which title matches would you want to be added to SummerSlam from the NXT brand? Tell us in the comments! 

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 Card (So Far)

  • World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor
  • Men's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Ricochet vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. LA Knight vs. Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. Damian Priest
  • Women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Zelina Vega vs. Zoey Stark vs. Becky Lynch vs. Bayley vs. Iyo Sky vs. TBD
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Dominik Mysterio

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