The NXT clearout continues as WWE remains intent on erasing everything the brand used to be. Thankfully, that doesn't mean banishing everyone who was a part of it out into the cold like William Regal and Bronson Reed. Some NXT Superstars have been and will be lucky enough to get main roster call-ups, and WWE appears to be ramping up the search for which wrestlers fit the bill.
More NXT Stars Have Been Invited To SmackDown
Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have been competing in dark matches on Raw and SmackDown, as have LA Knight and Roderick Strong. According to PWInsider, Strong and Knight will be returning to SmackDown later this week. The two could actually appear on TV at some point after WWE shared backstage footage of Knight verbally sparring with Dolph Ziggler.
The same report from PWInsider has also revealed Knight and Strong will be joined by a couple of other NXT stars backstage on SmackDown this week. Io Shirai and Dakota Kai. Both have been with NXT a while and have been featured on NXT 2.0. Even though Shirai seems set for another run in the Dusty Classic, a tryout match this week could prep her for a potential call-up in the near future.
Ready To Rumble
Since SmackDown will be taking place just 24 hours prior to Royal Rumble, it's also possible some or all four of the NXT stars heading to the blue brand this week are part of the 30-person matches. Both have spots available and at the time of typing this, no NXT stars have been confirmed for them. The brand usually has a presence in the matches, and Shirai has actually competed in a Rumble in the past.
Kai getting the nod will also be very interesting. The New Zealander has had main roster tryout matches in the past, but they didn't result in her being called up. Not a good sign, but WWE giving her a second chance definitely is. Hopefully she gets a dark match on SmackDown and a spot in the Rumble to prove to WWE brass that she has a lot to offer outside of NXT.