WWE Rumor Mill: NXT Call-Up Coming Up After Royal Rumble?

What's the story

The WWE could be calling one of their major NXT Superstars following the 2019 Royal Rumble event in January.

This comes as an interesting choice considering his lacklustre run in NXT, even though this Superstar was widely successful in one of WWE's rival promotions.

In case you didn't know...

It's no secret that current NXT Superstar EC3 has been on a less than stellar run for the NXT Brand after all the hype and build-up to his WWE re-debut. He was formerly in WWE years ago as "Derrick Bateman". After a failed run, he was repackaged and brought to TNA (Impact Wrestling) at Ethan Carter III (a.k.a. EC3). There, he made a star out of himself and became a mainstay player for Impact Wrestling until he left the organization in 2017.

EC3

EC3 made his re-debut at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, sitting in the crowd and watching the action unfold. He lost his debut match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in a Six Man Ladder Match for the NXT North American Championship that also included, Killian Dain, Adam Cole, Ricochet, Lars Sullivan and Velveteen Dream. EC3 would go on to feud with Velveteen Dream, turning face in the process. After suffering a loss to Dream at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV, EC3 was diagnosed with a concussion, taking him out of in-ring competition temporarily.

EC3 recently made his return to NXT television, promising to be a new man that will dominate and go through anyone who stands in his way.

The heart of the matter

As reported by Joe Peisich on Barnburner’s No Holds Barred podcast, EC3 is strongly rumoured to be one of the next call-ups to the main roster, perhaps during or after the Royal Rumble event in January.

“I’m going on a line right now and say that EC3 will be one of the NXT call-ups or appearances for the Royal Rumble.” - H/T Ringside News

What's next

You can catch the next episode of NXT on Wednesday night, starting at 8 PM (EST) on the WWE Network. What will become of EC3 during his current tenure in NXT?