8 WWE Superstars you forgot appeared on NXT

WWE NXT has consistently put on some of the best matches in pro wrestling for the last few years. The black and yellow brand is now well and truly WWE's third brand with the show live on the USA Network on Wednesday nights.

However, when NXT was first transitioning away from the game show version to its current form, they sometimes relied on star power from the main roster to get eyes on the product. A number of main roster stars appeared on NXT during the early years of the promotion and in this article, we take a look at some of these which fans have forgotten about in 2020.

#8 Kofi Kingston

We start off our list with former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. It may surprise some fans that Kofi Kingston has actually wrestled a couple of times in NXT. These came in 2013 and he faced Rusev in both matches, winning one and losing the other.

Kofi went on to form the New Day a few months later in 2014 and has gone on to have some of the most successful years of his career with Xavier Woods and Big E.

#7 The Great Khali

We move on to the most successful Indian in WWE history, the Great Khali.

Khali made his WWE debut in 2006 and continued in the promotion till 2014. During his time in the company, his solitary title was the World Heavyweight Championship. He won the title in a battle royal on SmackDown in 2007, following Edge vacating the title. Khali dropped the title to Batista later on in the year.

During his WWE run, Khali also made one appearance in NXT. Khali went down to the black and yellow brand in 2014 where he faced CJ Parker, who now wrestles in New Japan Pro Wrestling as Juice Robinson. Khali won the match, but the biggest thing you take away in the clip is how far Juice Robinson has come as a performer since he went over to Japan.

#6 Jake Hager aka Jack Swagger

Jack Swagger’s run in WWE didn’t live up to expectations despite the man being a former world champion. Hager has now done a much better job of establishing himself as an interesting character in AEW as well as a force to be reckoned with as the muscle of the Inner Circle. During his WWE run, Hager even had a match a couple of matches in NXT which are often overlooked.

Hager’s first NXT match came against Sami Zayn in August 2013, which he won. His second match came in 2014, where Rusev forced him to submit.

#5 Dolph Ziggler

Another main roster star who has had a couple of matches in NXT is Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler went down to NXT for a couple of matches in 2013. As you guys will notice, most of the matches on this list took place in either 2013 or 2014, when the current version of NXT was just starting out.

Ziggler’s first match in NXT was in a live event in 2013 where he teamed up with former WWE star Brad Maddox. The pair faced Briley Pierce and current AEW star Trent in a winning effort.

Ziggler’s second NXT match was during a TV taping in July 2013 where he beat the ‘Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev.

#4 RVD

Next up on the list is a fan favourite, Rob Van Dam. The former ECW Tag-Team Champion made his WWE debut in 2001, achieving a lot in the company during his runs there including winning the WWE Championship as well as a boatload of other titles. One often forgotten part of RVD's WWE career are the couple of matches he had in NXT.

The first of these came in 2013 when he beat Aiden English in singles action. RVD faced Neville aka PAC in his second and final NXT match, losing to the British Superstar.

#3 Kane

Kane is one of the most decorated ‘big men’ in the history of pro wrestling. Glenn Jacobs has achieved a lot in his career and has even found time to wrestle a couple of matches in the black and yellow brand.

Kane’s first match in NXT was a dark match against Cody Rhodes, which The Big red Monster won via pinfall, which took place in July 2012.

In his second NXT match, a couple of months after the first, Kane and tag-team partner Daniel Bryan beat the future Fandango and Curtis Axel.

#2 Randy Orton

‘The Viper’ Randy Orton is one of the most successful Superstars in modern WWE. A 13-time world champion and multiple time Royal Rumble winner, Orton is still one of the most popular Superstars on the roster. Orton has shown that he’s still at the top of his game when he wants to be, during his feud with Edge. 18 years into his WWE career, he’s still going strong. He was involved in a Twitter feud with NXT Superstar Tommaso Ciampa. After this, many are wondering if The Viper will indeed turn up on the Black & Gold brand.

Speaking of Orton’s WWE run, he’s also had one match in NXT in his career so far. Orton faced Damien Sandow on NXT in early 2013, beating the former WWE star decisively.

#1 John Cena

We finish off our list with none other than John Cena. Unlike the other names on this list, Cena never wrestled in NXT but only made an appearance. Cena’s only appearance in NXT was actually in a dark segment and not televised. A small part of his segment can be seen in the video below: