Although it doesn’t feel like it at times, WWE haven’t scooped up every single person on the independent scene.
If anything, WWE scooping up the main attractions has allowed some of the newer stars to shine. Which, coupled to the fact that some veterans are currently having an Indian Summer, means that the independent scene is currently at an all-time high in terms of talent available. There’s ample opportunity for starts to shine and get a chance to develop their skills.
Of course, this does mean that when people go to NXT and then to the main roster does, sometimes some of the other main roster stars are forgotten about. There’s a ton of talent who could benefit from some time down in NXT. With that in mind, here are 3 Indy stars and 2 main roster stars who should get drafted to NXT.
1. (From Independents) Johnny Mundo/Impact
A familiar name to WWE fans, the man WWE fans knew as John Morrison/Johnny Nitro is currently having a great run in Impact Wrestling at the minute as a heel with his real-life wife, Taya Valkyrie. He’s having great matches with the likes of Brian Cage, Moose and Killer Kross and looks to be in phenomenal shape.
At 39 years old, he might not have many years left, so now might be the time for him to have a run in NXT. Whether as a heel or a face, Mundo could have fantastic matches with the likes of Adam Cole, Velveteen Dream and Johnny Gargano. If he does return, it should be as a heel. An obnoxious and cocky Mundo could have some stellar feuds with Johnny Gargano and Velveteen Dream, which would not only elevate them, but also prove to everyone that Mundo can still hang with the modern WWE roster.
In an interview with Stone Cold in 2015, Mundo claimed that WWE had offered him a 3-year deal to re-sign with them but turned it down due to injury and wanting more control over his time. Hopefully he’ll reconsider soon though, because there’s a lot of potential great matches he could have down in NXT.
2. (From Main Roster) Luke Harper
Luke Harper has been very vocal on social media as of late, saying that he’s been injury free since February, but WWE Creative have had nothing for him. This feels like a massive mistake on WWE’s part, because Luke Harper might just be one of the most underrated wrestlers in the entire world.
The guy is a fantastic wrestler. For a guy who’s 6’5 and weighs 275 pounds, he moves around the ring with the speed and the grace of a man half his size and weight. He’s also got a brutal move set and is an underrated talker as well. He’s had some fantastic matches with the likes of John Cena, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton and others, proving that he can have great matches with just about anyone.
If he went to NXT, he could prove to everyone backstage just how good he is. He could have great big man battles with the likes of Dominic Dijackovic and Keith Lee, or he could have some great technical matches with the likes of Roderick Strong and Matt Riddle.
However, down in NXT UK is the man I really want Harper to face, and that is the current NXT UK Champion, Walter. Harper put out a tweet asking if Walter is in the non-UK version of NXT, and wrestling twitter nearly exploded. Two big, agile men who could legitimately try to kill each other in the ring? YES PLEASE!!!
3. (From Independents) Tessa Blanchard
The name Blanchard will already be familiar to a lot of wrestling fans, with Tessa’s father, Tully Blanchard being part of the legendary Four Horseman Stable as well as her step-father, Magnum TA, a great wrestler in the 1980’s before injury cut his career short. Don’t assume it’d be nepotism that gets her the job though, because Tessa is a fantastic wrestler in her own right.
Despite having only started wrestling in 2014, she has taken to wrestling like a duck to water, having great matches across the globe and being one of the faces of the Women’s Division in Impact Wrestling.
She’s already wrestled in WWE before. She wrestled 3 times in NXT in 2016, losing to Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax and Carmella. She then participated in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, falling in the first round to eventual winner Kairi Sane.
She admitted to being heartbroken when WWE didn’t offer her a full-time contract, but WWE’s loss is wrestling’s gain. She has had great matches with the likes of Jordynn Grace, Taya Valkyrie as well as male wrestlers such as David Starr, Joey Ryan and Will Ospreay, proving that she’s just as good, if not better than a lot of male professional wrestlers. At 23 years old, she’s only going to get better, and its surely only a matter of time before WWE come calling again.
4. (From Main Roster) Asuka
When she came up to the main roster in late 2017, all creative had to do was let her win. He whole gimmick was that she destroyed people. For a while, it looked like this was happening. She was the sole survivor in the women’s Raw vs SmackDown match, eliminating 3 people. Then she won the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble, and it looked like she was going to be an absolute megastar in WWE. Then, Charlotte tapped her out, and it all went downhill from there.
She suffered her first pinfall loss to Carmella of all people and she was almost forgotten about until December of 2018, when she won the Smackdown Women’s title from Charlotte and Becky Lynch in a Match of the Year contender. However, Charlotte tapped her out again on the March 26th edition of Smackdown and to be honest, it’s difficult to see how she can recover now.
A move to NXT could be the solution for the Empress of Tomorrow. There are several women who she could have fantastic matches with. Just imagine Asuka vs Shayna Baszler in a battle to see who the most dominant NXT Women’s Champion in history is. However, matches against Io Shari and Kairi Sane are what would make fans mouths water. They all have history together, especially Asuka and Shari, who used to be tag partners, and fans all around the world would be salivating at the thought of the three Joshi legends squaring off in singles action or in a triple threat.
Even if this one doesn’t happen, something needs to be done soon about Asuka. If they keep treating her the way they have been doing, one of the most dominate champions in NXT history could soon become nothing more than an afterthought.
5. (From Independents) Kyle Fletcher
The 20-year old Australian is already a star of the British Wrestling scene, thanks to his stellar work as part of Aussie Open with fellow Aussie Mark Davies. The pair are perhaps the best tag team in Britain today, having won tag titles in promotions such as Defiant, Progress and ATTACK! and are hugely popular with everyone. Despite having success as a tag team wrestler, it’s as a single wrestler that Kyle has a bright future with, because the guy is fantastic.
Seriously, watch some of his single work in Fight Club Pro. He’s had great matches with Japanese legends like Daisuke Sekimoto and Meiko Satomura, as well as people like Will Ospreay and Tyler Bate. It’s not just in FCP where he’s shining in singles action though. He’s had great matches with the likes of Trent Severn, El Phantasmo, Travis Banks and more across the country, proving that he’s not just an amazing tag team competitor, he’s also a phenomenal singles wrestler too.
He’s everything WWE should be looking for right now. He’s young, he can do aerial and power moves, and he’s only gonna improve as time goes on. If he’s already having great matches now, just imagine how good the ‘’Aussie Arrow’’ is going to be in five or so years. He could have great matches against the likes of Velveteen Dream, Buddy Murphy, Ricochet as well as others. He can adapt to any scenario, and with the bright lights shining on him, Kyle Fletcher could become one of the worlds best. It’s only a matter of time before some other big company coming sniffing around him, so WWE should act
Those are just five stars who could go to NXT. There will be no doubt I’ve forgotten someone, so drop a comment below as to who you think should go to NXT. Until then, I’ve been Josh Bannister, and thanks for reading.