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WWE kicked off Royal Rumble weekend with another brilliant NXT TakeOver event, with Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black and Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano producing two early contenders for Match of the Year.
While some of the performers from the five matches in Philadelphia are almost certain to make the step up to WWE’s main roster soon, it looks like others will remain in NXT for the foreseeable future.
In this article, we predict when all 12 Superstars who featured in matches at TakeOver will eventually join Raw or SmackDown Live.
Disclaimer: A surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble usually doesn’t lead to an immediate main-roster call-up, so we’re discounting potential Rumble appearances in our predictions.
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#5 Authors of Pain & Undisputed Era
Authors of Pain: Depending who you believe, Akam and Rezar have either been in NXT for long enough and they should be called up to the main roster immediately, or they are still raw talents who need a few more months training at the Performance Centre. Either way, we can expect AOP to join Raw or SmackDown at some point in 2018, with a permanent call-up likely to come shortly after WrestleMania 34.
Undisputed Era: Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish will be on the main roster one day, but not yet. They only joined NXT in mid-2017 and their Tag Team title reign is just getting started. With AOP and SAnitY surely destined for the big stage before them, it’s safe to say O’Reilly and Fish will remain in NXT for the whole of 2018. We reckon they’ll be heading to the main roster around mid-2019.
#4 Kassius Ohno & Velveteen Dream
Kassius Ohno: Originally released by WWE in late 2013, Kassius returned to the company in early 2017 and was immediately involved in an NXT Championship storyline. Since then, however, it has seemingly become his job to lose against stars of the future. Will the 38-year-old finally get a chance on the main roster soon? Or is he destined to remain in NXT, perhaps becoming a coach one day? We predict the latter.
Velveteen Dream: Two-and-a-half years on from his appearance on Tough Enough, Patrick Clark, aka Velveteen Dream, has burst onto the scene in NXT and quickly become one of the brand’s most popular Superstars. Aged 22, there’s still plenty of time before he’s called up to the main roster, so we think he’ll stay in NXT at least until the weekend of WrestleMania 35.
#3 Ember Moon & Shayna Baszler
Ember Moon: If Ember lost the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Philadelphia, we would’ve expected her to join the main roster in the not-too-distant future. However, her victory over Shayna suggests that she’ll remain in NXT for a little while yet, so we think she’ll stay with the brand at least until SummerSlam weekend.
Shayna Baszler: Of all the performers on the TakeOver: Philadelphia card, the future of Shayna is the most difficult to predict. The former UFC star is still relatively new to the sports entertainment world but she has already become the woman to beat in NXT. We think a possible alignment with Ronda Rousey, another member of MMA's Four Horsewomen, will lead to a faster call-up than anticipated, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see her on the main roster by WrestleMania 34 weekend.
#2 Adam Cole & Aleister Black
Adam Cole: It was clear from the very start of their NXT careers that Finn Balor and Samoa Joe would instantly become stars on WWE’s main roster, yet they remained in NXT as the brand’s main attractions for around two years. We think Cole’s career will take a similar path over the next 18 months, winning the NXT Championship before making the jump to Raw or SmackDown Live in mid-2019.
Aleister Black: Several current NXT performers could join the main roster right away and not look out of place, and Black is right at the top of that list. The 2017 NXT Male Superstar of the Year is one of the best in-ring talents in all of WWE and he is destined for big things on Raw or SmackDown Live one day. But, with dream matches and a potential title reign still to come in NXT, we think Black will remain with the brand for another year, with his call-up possibly coming on the weekend of WrestleMania 35.
#1 Andrade “Cien” Almas & Johnny Gargano
Andrade Almas: Rumours in early 2017 suggested that Vince McMahon wanted Almas to join the main roster around the time of the Superstar Shake-Up. Of course, that didn’t happen and he has since gone on to redefine his character in NXT with the help of Zelina Vega. The two are destined for huge things and we think their main-roster call-up will come in 2018, possibly after SummerSlam.
Johnny Gargano: After failing to win the NXT Championship from Almas in an instant classic at TakeOver: Philadelphia, the next step for Gargano is to feud with former tag partner Tommaso Ciampa, who returned to attack him at the end of the show. Beyond that, expect the 199lbs fan favorite to become one of the featured stars on 205 Live when he eventually joins the main roster, which we think will happen in late 2018.
