NXT was once seen as the developmental brand of the WWE, but things have changed a lot down at Full Sail over the past year or so. NXT now has a much stronger unit coupled with a television deal which has allowed it to become a complete third brand of the company.
Over the past year or so, we have seen many Superstars jump from RAW or SmackDown to NXT, with Tyler Breeze and Finn Balor proving to be the most prominent Superstars.
Similarly, several other Superstars have also expressed their desire to move to NXT whenever required and men like Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins have also competed on NXT in recent times, showing clearly that the Superstars don't have a problem in performing in NXT, thinking it’s only for newer talent under training.
With NXT winning the battle for brand supremacy at Survivor Series, fans are now more interested in the product they have to offer along with RAW and SmackDown.
This could result in many other Superstars moving to the brand for a change in the environment and possibly better opportunities, and several Superstars should make the move.
In this article, we will look at the 5 RAW and SmackDown Superstars who should move to NXT after WrestleMania 36.
#5 Bo Dallas
In case you forgot, Bo Dallas was once the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time. Dallas held the title for 260 days after which he was defeated by Neville who held the title for an even longer period.
Dallas was highly successful when he first arrived on RAW but he soon started to become nothing more than an enhancement talent on both RAW and SmackDown. He paired up with Curtis Axel and the two joined The Miz as his entourage, and the duo later created The B-Team and won the RAW Tag Team Championships once.
However, Bo has largely been seen as an enhancement talent and nothing more than a comical character ever since and has lost far more matches than he has won.
Bo had recently taken to social media to say that he is prepared to return with a possible fresh look and character, and we could see him move back to NXT, which is now a more complete brand than the last time Bo competed there.
Tyler Breeze and Fandango have both had a better time since returning to NXT, and Bo could also join them in moving to NXT again and rebuilding his character before coming on RAW or SmackDown with a brand new gimmick.
#4 Rusev
Rusev has seen several ups and downs in his career. In fact, one can term him as the unluckiest Superstar on the RAW roster who has improved significantly in the ring and on the mic but fails to get the push he deserves.
While Rusev has had some mid-card title reigns, he has failed to win any top titles in the company which feels criminal for a Superstar with his level of talent.
The Bulgarian Brute has gone through several gimmick changes, and his Rusev Day gimmick has stuck with the fans even when he has given up on it. It’s important to note that Rusev does not have any match for WrestleMania this year and has not featured in any pay-per-views this year.
The Bulgarian is currently in no real feuds and with no real storyline to follow, Rusev is one man who should move back to NXT where he could really get some top-level challenge and a chance to take on some of the best Superstars in the industry at the top of the roster.
Rusev never won any titles during his time in NXT, and the brand has evolved a lot since he last competed there. Rusev himself is far better than he once was, and he could take on men like Dominik Dijakovic, Damian Priest, and Keith Lee to reach the top of the brand.
#3 Mustafa Ali
While many Superstars have to go through several layers to reach the top, it took Mustafa Ali some time in 205 Live followed by a top rivalry with then-WWE Champion Daniel Bryan to become one of the biggest new talents in the company.
Ali made his SmackDown debut in late 2018, and he spent a major time of early 2019 aiming for the top. At one point, it seemed like he’d even end up becoming the WWE Champion, but an unfortunate injury pulled him back.
Slowly Ali fell to the mid-card and disappeared altogether to the utter disappointment of the fans. In fact, Ali hasn’t had a single televised match in 2020 which comes as a major shock to many fans, and he wasn’t part of the 30-man Royal Rumble this year either.
SmackDown has a loaded card at the moment, and it is getting difficult for the creatives to give all Superstars a chance to perform every week. Therefore, we could watch Ali push to move to NXT where someone like him could really shine and even become the NXT North American Champion or NXT Champion.
Ali is an incredible athlete and he could provide light to the dark NXT brand by taking on men like Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Damian Priest in some excellent matches.
#2 Ricochet
Former NXT North American Champion Ricochet was one of the elite players on NXT and managed to headline several events, especially my favorite, NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2018 where he teamed up with Pete Dunne and War Raiders (now known as The Viking Raiders) to take on The Undisputed Era.
Since moving to RAW, Ricochet managed to do some incredible things, including winning the United States Championship. However, he had a relatively short reign and started getting stuck in mixed bookings.
Earlier this year, Ricochet got the opportunity of his life as he got a shot at Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship. Even though this was his once in a lifetime chance, the creatives decided to let Lesnar squash him in mere seconds.
Ricochet has been stuck in the lower mid-cards since and it’s heartbreaking to see how WWE’s Resident Superhero has become somewhat of a zero and is struggling to stay afloat.
With NXT getting some top 205 Live talent and other cruiserweights, along with a rise in the number of heels on the brand, Ricochet should move back to NXT for some time to gain back his momentum.
Imagine watching Ricochet take on the newer talent such as Austin Theory and Jordan Devlin on the Black and Gold brand!
#1 Charlotte Flair
2020 Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair has done it all and won it all in WWE, and she is set to challenge the NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley for her title at WrestleMania 36. To be fair, Ripley was the one who decided to call out The Queen and forced Flair to challenge her for the title.
Flair is one of the most gifted athletes, and she has proven time and time again why she is among the best female wrestlers in the entire industry. She will be a part of the only NXT Championship match at WrestleMania 36, as the two women will create history by being part of the first NXT Women’s title at the event.
While Flair has a lot of momentum and backing to win the title and move to NXT in the process, she should move to NXT even if she does not win the title.
The NXT Women’s Championship is the only active title she has only won once, as she has won the RAW Women’s title four times and the SmackDown Women’s Championship no less than five times.
With that in mind, Flair should move to NXT and continue to work there and chase the NXT Women’s Championship even if she does not win at WrestleMania. This will allow her to take a fresh direction and increase her title count while giving the other Superstars of NXT a chance to work with an active legend.