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WWE NXT has provided the main roster with some of the biggest names in the wrestling industry today. From Seth Rollins to Roman Reigns, many Superstars on RAW and SmackDown started off by competing in NXT during the 2010s.
Other main roster superstars, such as Ember Moon, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens, have even gone back to NXT for one-off matches or longer second stints with the brand.
Let’s take a look at the 10 WWE superstars who you probably didn’t know once competed in NXT.
#10 Kofi Kingston - 2 matches in WWE NXT
The New Day is undoubtedly one of the most successful factions in WWE. While Big E and Xavier Woods both came up from NXT and made it big on the main roster, Kofi Kingston was a part of WWE from well before NXT became its own brand.
Big E and Woods competed in several matches on NXT, with Kofi even being featured in a couple of them.
Kofi had his first NXT match against Rusev in January 2014. The former WWE Champion ended up losing the match by submission and had a rematch against "The Bulgarian Brute" a couple of weeks later.
Kofi managed to deliver Trouble in Paradise to Rusev to pick up the victory in his second and final match on the Black & Gold brand. Kofi has since spoken about the superstars he’d like to face from NXT.
“There’s too much talent! Adam Cole is awesome, Johnny Gargano is awesome, Rodrick Strong is awesome, and I can’t mention names because I’ll leave names out!” said Kingston.
“Tyler Breeze too, is amazing. You know there’s way too much talent for me to pick [who I want to face most]. It’s the same situation, where I’m hoping all of those guys make it up to the roster at some point in time.”
Even though Kofi is working in a tag team with Woods now, fans could see him move to the Black & Gold brand for some time to help increase its ratings. His knowledge and experience could help up-and-coming Superstars on the brand.
#9 Braun Strowman had a few matches on WWE NXT
Former Universal Champion Braun Strowman is looking to find his footing in WWE again. "The Monster Among Men" has been in the spotlight on-and-off and has seen several ups and downs throughout his career.
Strowman was first seen on television by the WWE Universe when he became a part of The Wyatt Family. However, that was not the first time Strowman took to the WWE ring.
What most fans might not know is that Strowman competed in a few live shows and a dark match on NXT. He wrestled Chad Gable, Tye Dillinger, and Dash Wilder at NXT, winning each of these matches.
Strowman was asked about which NXT Superstar he sees as the future, and he had some interesting words.
“You know it’s hard to tell. Because we’re so studded right now on the main roster that there’s a lot of talented athletes in NXT, but what they have down there right now, I don’t see them outshining anything we have on the main roster.”
Strowman showed the WWE Universe a rare photograph of himself in NXT and hasn’t ruled out the possibility of moving to the brand one day.
#8 Kane teamed up with Daniel Bryan for a match on WWE NXT
As one of the longest-tenured employees at WWE, Kane has been an influential figure in WWE. Even though the superstar is currently serving as a mayor in Tennessee, he has made special appearances and given fans some feel-good moments.
Kane made his NXT debut in a dark match against Cody Rhodes in July 2012 and defeated him by pinfall.
What many may not know is that Kane teamed up with Daniel Bryan to defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against Johnny Curtis and Michael McGillicutty in a televised match. The match was taped in October 2012.
These two matches ensured Kane appeared on all three of WWE’s biggest brands during his career.
#7-6 Nikki & Brie Bella (The Bella Twins) competed in a tag team match on WWE NXT
Nikki and Brie Bella will go down in the history books as two of the most influential female WWE superstars of all time. Even though the two superstars' careers were short, they managed to leave a huge impact on the company,
In April 2013, Nikki and Brie competed against Naomi and Cameron, known as The Funkadactyls.
The Bella Twins defeated the NXT duo convincingly and made a statement on the Black & Gold brand.
#5 Sheamus Brogue Kicked WWE NXT Superstars
"The Celtic Warrior" Sheamus has competed against most of the big names in WWE today. Sheamus is currently trying to win the WWE Championship once again on the RAW brand as he feuds with Drew McIntyre.
While Sheamus has competed on RAW and SmackDown for almost his entire WWE career, the Irishman has also competed in a few matches on NXT. The superstar competed in a couple of dark matches in which he defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio and Drew McIntyre in 2012.
Sheamus also competed against Cesaro in a dark match in September 2012. But that’s not all, Sheamus competed in a few televised matches on the black and gold brand too. In June 2013, Sheamus defeated Luke Harper in a televised match on NXT.
Sheamus returned to NXT in March 2014 to defeat Aiden English with a big Brogue Kick, giving fans a feel-good moment.
The Celtic Warrior later partnered with an NXT veteran to form The Bar. Along with Cesaro, Sheamus won the RAW and SmackDown Tag Team Championships five times in total.
#4 CM Punk teamed up with the WWE NXT Champion to have a tag team match
CM Punk is one of the most controversial WWE superstars in history. Punk had both good and bad days and held several of the company’s top titles along the way.
In November 2011, Punk began his third reign as the WWE Champion. This reign was one of the longest championship reigns of the modern era. During that time, Punk headed over to WWE NXT in August 2012.
In a dark match, Punk took on Cesaro in a singles match. Cesaro’s tag team partner, Kassius Ohno, watched on from ringside as "The Swiss Superman" came close to losing the match. Ohno interfered and this brought out the NXT Champion at the time, Seth Rollins.
Rollins and Punk ended up teaming together for a match against Cesaro and Ohno, much to delight of the NXT Universe. At the end of it all, Punk and Rollins hit their finishers on both opponents and pinned them at the same time to pick up the victory.
The duo stood tall to end the night after a monumental dark match. This was the only time Punk competed inside the NXT ring.
#3 Rob Van Dam had 2 matches in WWE NXT
Rob Van Dam is one of the few WWE superstars who appeared on RAW, SmackDown, and ECW. That’s not all, as the high-flyer also made his way to the NXT brand of WWE.
In September 2013 (aired in October 2013), RVD competed against Aiden English in his first match on NXT. RVD was able to finish off English with a perfect Five Star Frog Splash to pick up a victory.
That’s not all, as the former WWE Champion once again headed over to NXT in 2014. RVD competed against Adrian Neville in May 2014 (aired in June 2014) for his second outing. However, RVD wasn’t as successful the second time around as Neville managed to put on an aerial clinic and defeated one of WWE’s best high-flyers.
Neville was the reigning NXT Champion at the time, and RVD showed some respect by shaking his hand and raising his arm after the contest. This showed that the veteran was clearly impressed by Neville’s performance in the ring and wanted to put him over at the time.
#2 Chris Jericho has competed in WWE NXT
Whether you talk about WCW, WWE, NJPW or AEW, Chris Jericho has performed in almost every top wrestling promotion in the world. It's not just that Jericho has performed on all these promotions, but he has also managed to win the top championships to prove that he is among the best sports entertainers in the world.
Jericho is currentlypart of AEW and is enjoying his stint with the latest promotion. What many fans do not know is that Jericho once appeared for a match on NXT, the very brand AEW is competing with today on Wednesday nights.
In March 2013 (aired in May 2013), Jericho made his NXT debut and competed against one of his greatest rivals, Bray Wyatt. Wyatt arrived with Luke Harper and Eric Rowan by his side as he was confronted by Jericho in the NXT ring.
The two superstars competed in a great match on the black and gold brand in front of the Full Sail University crowd. Jericho locked Wyatt in the Walls of Jericho to make him tap out.
The victory capped off Jericho’s successful appearance in WWE NXT and gave him a perfect win record.
#1 Randy Orton had a match in WWE NXT
Randy Orton has been one of WWE’s top wrestlers for several years now. Orton has helped many talented men and women in the company get over with the crowd. Orton has also called out some of his younger colleagues on social media and has gotten into verbal battles with a few superstars from NXT.
Over the past few years, Orton has teased rivalries against Tommaso Ciampa, Karrion Kross, and Adam Cole from NXT. However, not many fans will be aware of the fact that Orton has already competed in a match on NXT back in 2013.
Orton headed over to the black and gold brand in February 2013 (aired in March 2013) and competed against Damien Sandow. The two men were already involved in a rivalry at the time, and this allowed Orton to have his first and only match on WWE’s NXT brand.
Triple H has addressed the possibility of Orton moving to the NXT brand one day for a short stint.
"There's always conversations around this stuff. Whether it's people coming down to NXT, whether it's NXT talent making a shift there and doing something, there's always conversations, but when you're doing seven hours of live content every week and dealing with it in this environment where at any moment, things can shift, talent can move or not be available, it's a domino effect."
Orton can be a great asset to WWE’s third brand if he decides to make the move for some time. His knowledge and experience can help elevate the overall level of the black and gold brand.
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