What’s the story?
According to reports from Wrestling Inc. that stemmed from the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer newsletter, a class of NXT superstars has been chosen for preparations leading to a call-up to the main roster. The class includes singles competitors Hideo Itami, Kassius Ohno, Elias Samson, Tye Dillinger, Alexander Wolfe, Andrade "Cien" Almas, and current NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, as well as tag teams TM-61 and current champions DIY – Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
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Notably absent from that class – and the reported next class that includes Roderick Strong and The Revival – is Samoa Joe, the former champion who has feuded with Nakamura as well as former NXT and WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor.
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These classes are intended to get NXT talent ready for the rigours and challenges of main-roster action. Most likely, anyone in this class would be coming up to the main roster sooner rather than later, although Nick Miller, one-half of TM-61, recently suffered a knee injury and reportedly had surgery.
It’s also worth noting that superstars like Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Austin Aries and Eric Young are said to have different deals than most NXT superstars. Because of this, they don’t train at the WWE Performance Center the way others do and might not be in the classes even if they’re coming up. In fact, Aries has been working as an announcer for 205 Live and may be working in the cruiserweight division when he recovers from his eye injury.
The heart of the matter
Reports like this one will always get attention for several reasons. First of all, with the Royal Rumble coming up in a couple weeks, fans and media members alike will be trying to ascertain which NXT talent might get a surprise spot in the 30-man Rumble match.
Second, it will give fans an idea of which talent would be eligible for whatever brand draft system the main roster shows use later this year if there is one. This list could also help show us which NXT talent could be set for title feuds on the black and yellow brand.
What’s next?
Next, comes the waiting game for wrestling fans, unless the WWE chooses to show its hand in some sort of official way. All the reports on this matter so far have been rumours from external sources, even if Dave Meltzer and the folks at Wrestling Observer have been known to be reliable in the past.
NXT booking in the coming weeks could tell the story to a degree, but the next indication as to who’s coming up might be Jan. 29 at the Royal Rumble.
Sportskeeda’s take
It’s difficult to see a scenario where some of these guys like Ohno and Samson would be coming up to the main roster but Samoa Joe wouldn’t. It’s entirely possible that either the list is missing some talent like Joe, Roode or even The Revival, or perhaps reports about Joe and Roode having unique deals are accurate.
On the flip side, if all these singles performers are coming to the main roster, along with any number of Joe, Roode and Young, that would seem to leave the NXT men’s roster very thin. Recent rumours had Ohno as a potential replacement for Joe in NXT, so if Ohno is on the list to be called up along with Nakamura, does that mean Joe isn’t coming up after all?
Some of these men might be better served staying down in NXT to get some experience in the championship hunt on a weekly wrestling show.
