NXT has risen to a prime state in 2016, as the brain child of Triple H started to gain recognition after the inflow of superstars and amazing shows in 2015. 2016 was even better, with world-class athletes and legitimate main-eventers taking it up a notch. We've also seen a lot of superstars from NXT--such as Finn Balor, Sami Zayn and Baron Corbin--get the main roster call this year. In fact, there are many wrestlers from NXT who fans feel are deserving of a spot on the main roster as soon as possible.
This year we saw the debuts of Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura, the rise of Samoa Joe and the amazing tag team division of NXT. These stars upped the ante and proved that they were more than ready to compete on the biggest stage in wrestling. While Triple H can't promote every talented wrestler from NXT, surely some are destined to move up.
Let's take a look at 8 NXT stars we'll see on the main roster in 2017, and 7 we won't.
24 15. WILL SEE: DIY
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are arguably the most exciting tag team in NXT right now, as the two have had quite the fairytale rise to stardom in NXT in 2016, which was capped off with an amazing win over The Revival to get a hold of the NXT Tag Team Championships. They had quite the remarkable feud with the Revival in the year, as constantly amazing matches between the two showcased how good they were, as Gargano and Ciampa look to be one of the most exciting teams in WWE right now and their amazing display is definitely not going unnoticed in the back. DIY will probably make it to the main roster sometime in 2017, as they can add that much more excitement to the tag team division and take the main roster by storm with their sensational ability.
23 14. WON'T SEE: Andrade "Cien" Almas
Andrade "Cien" Almas might have been a famous luchador in his career before WWE, but he didn't really get the reception he'd have expected in his debut at NXT Takeover: The End where he defeated Tye Dillinger. Cien has since been pretty impressive with his in-ring work in NXT, but has struggled to win over the fans because of his lack of personality, which has hurt his popularity. Although a heel turn a few months back has brought some character to his wrestling, he still looks very green as an entertainer and doesn't seem to be getting the call-up anytime soon. He needs to work on his gimmick or become a character who can stay relevant on the main roster, as his generic character really won't go anywhere in the big stages.
22 13. WILL SEE: No Way Jose
No Way Jose has been quite the revelation in NXT this year, as the highly entertaining athlete has been mesmerizing audiences with his dancing and has been pretty impressive in the ring as well. Used often to provide entertainment to the crowd, Jose has seemingly won over the NXT fans with his entertaining moves and has also apparently impressed WWE officials enough, including Vince McMahon. We all know how much Vince loves these type of "entertainment" stars in his product, so it's only a matter of time before Jose gets the call from upstairs as this entertaining star will mostly dance his way into the main roster in 2017 and be used as an element to dazzle the WWE universe with his moves and groove.
21 12. WON'T SEE: TM-61
TM-61 might be a very exciting tag team in NXT right now, but they are lacking that drive and edge which the likes of American Alpha had, which has been hurting their quest on achieving popularity in the WWE. The team of Shane Thorne and Nick Miller has been a pretty solid one in the Independent Circuit over the past few years, but they're struggling to make it big in the WWE as they are still in the developmental process in NXT right now. They need to get a proper gimmick or status in NXT in order to really gel with the fans, as they aren't really doing anything extraordinary to impress the NXT crowd right now and are struggling because of their lack of popularity as faces. TM-61 needs to bring out that edge which can define them as a top tag team, as they're definitely not getting the call-up anytime soon and might have to stay in NXT for a few years more before getting the call upstairs.
20 11. WILL SEE: Billie Kay
Billie Kay has been quite the stand-out star in NXT's Women's Division during the reign of Asuka, as she has managed to promote herself really well after the likes of The Four Horsewomen, Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax made their way into the main roster. Kay is currently teamed with Peyton Royce, but her strong, dominating wrestling style and ability to portray her heel character so well has made her the standout between the two as she has been impressing us for a long time now. Kay doesn't seem to be winning the NXT Women's Championship anytime soon, as her impressive ability could be more utilized on the main roster as she can be a perfect fit for Smackdown Live! which can really do good with a heel woman like her as 2017 can be the breakthrough year for Kay.
19 10. WON'T SEE: Eric Young
Eric Young was another TNA alumni to appear in NXT this year, as he surprised many by coming out to challenge Samoa Joe for his NXT Championship soon after he won it and then disappeared after that. Young was in the shadows for some months, before he reappeared as the leader of the mysterious, sadistic new group called "Sanity" which looks to be the prime stable in NXT right now. Young might be in a very powerful position as the leader of Sanity right now in NXT, but he needs time before expecting a call-up from upstairs as neither Young nor Sanity will be promoted anytime soon. WWE already has its share of stables, and with the Wyatt family ruling Smackdown Live! right now, Young and Sanity need to work on their performance as a stable and could be promoted in 2018, but a promotion in 2017 looks to be least likely at this point.
18 9. WILL SEE: The Revival
The Revival's rise to becoming arguably the best tag team in the WWE right now has been nothing short of phenomenal, as Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder have managed to infuriate almost every fan with their amazing heel work. 2016 was their year as they managed to put on some amazing work to escalate the level of NXT"s tag team division, as they also became the first ever 2 time NXT Champions as well. They might've lost their titles recently to DIY, but the amazing work they have put on in the recent year almost ensures their call-up in 2017 which can be the year where they finally take over the main roster and prove why they are rated as the best heel tag team in the whole of WWE right now.
17 8. WON'T SEE: Elias Samson
Elias Samson has also been in NXT for over two years now and even though he seems to have found an interesting gimmick as "The Drifter" who has the looks of Randy "Macho Man" Savage and the mystical nature like Raven, he still has a lot of work to do in NXT before he can make the jump to the main roster. Samson's gimmick still has a lot of potential to uncover before he can be even considered as a guy to be promoted, as an injury earlier this year didn't help his cause either as he was out of wrestling for months before making his return last month. Samson could be a very intriguing heel if handled well with his potential gimmick, but he needs to work on making his gimmick something big in 2017 before he can be promoted to the main roster as he needs to get his character over as soon as possible and get engaged in some intriguing feud to increase the relevance of his character, after which he can consider "drifting" to the main roster.
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15 7. WILL SEE: Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami had quite the difficult year in 2016, as he was ruled out for a long time after suffering a bad shoulder injury in May 2015, and could only return in June of this year. Itami seemed to have a new look to him and also brought out his classic "GTS" finisher this time around, as he confronted Austin Aries in what looked to be a really intriguing feud. But tragedy would strike again for him, as he suffered a neck injury after receiving a botched powerbomb and is out of action yet again. Though this injury isn't that bad and he's expected to return soon enough, Itami has all the qualities to shine on Raw or Smackdown. While it would be nice for him to be involved in some sort of big feud or have a title reign on NXT, his age is getting up there (he's already 35) and these injuries aren't helping, so get him on the big stage ASAP!
14 6. WON'T SEE: Asuka
After dazzling everyone with her unique wrestling style when she debuted in NXT towards the end of 2015, Asuka became a real threat to the women's division when she won the NXT Women's Championship from Bayley in April. Asuka has since been dominating everyone she faces, as she has managed to keep the title to herself and has remained undefeated so far, beating the likes of Bayley, Nia Jax and most recently the returning Mickie James to make sure that she's the undisputed champion in NXT.
Though it may seem that Asuka has done everything there is to do in NXT and a promotion to the main roster is due, Triple H will definitely not let his prized possession be promoted before the NXT Women's Division is back on its feet again. The division has suffered after all the women were promoted, as Asuka is the only relevant, popular one in it right now and will be kept in NXT for the next year as well to make sure that its Women's Division stays exciting in the eyes of the fans. Asuka can take that time to work on her personality and add a bit more edginess to her character.
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12 5. WILL SEE: Tye Dillinger
"The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger might be the high-flying showman which he is right now, but he has had to work a lot in order to get to the place he is at WWE NXT right now. Dillinger has been in developmental for almost a decade in the WWE, as he first appeared for them in their FCW Developmental territory in 2006 and has come long way to make himself as one of the most over superstars in NXT. 2016 was quite the year for Dillinger whose popularity seemed to escalate with every passing week, as the Perfect 10 is finally ready to make the big step to the main roster of the WWE as 2017 could be the year where his dream is finally achieved and an entry at the Royal Rumble could be the most "perfect" debut for him.
11 4. WON'T SEE: Roderick Strong
Roderick Strong was another star acquisition by Triple H in 2016, as he was quite popular in his Independent days for his amazing display for Ring of Honor where he was also Ring of Honor Heavyweight Champion. Strong surprised many by being Austin Aries' mystery partner for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and has been pretty impressive in his performances so far, as Strong could be the next star of NXT after the likes of Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura move to the main roster in 2017. Strong will definitely kept in NXT by Triple H next year, as he could be one of his prime main-eventers after the current ones get called up as he can show the NXT fans why he's so popular in the Indy circuit with his "strong" style of wrestling and gun for adding the NXT Championship to his resume next year.
10 3. WILL SEE: Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe surprised many by stepping into a WWE ring last year, as the Samoan Submission Machine has been on a roll ever since appearing in NXT as he has been one of their star attractions since day 1. The 2-time NXT Champion had quite the 2016 for himself, as he dethroned Finn Balor to win the NXT Championship and won it again for a short reign later on. Joe is one of the most talented wrestlers in the company right now and now that he has achieved everything there is to achieve in NXT, it's only logical that he'd get the call-up to the main roster in 2017 as he needs to be called up as quickly as possible and with Smackdown Live! in dire need of some legitimate main-eventers, Joe can fit right in and continue his domination in the big leagues.
9 2. WON'T SEE: Bobby Roode
Bobby Roode had quite the glorious debut in NXT, as he sparked a lot of rumors after initially appearing at their NXT Takeover: Dallas event and was already built as a real star before even having his debut in the company. Roode went onto win over the NXT crowd with his "Glorious" theme song and amazing ability to portray a cocky heel character, as Roode seems destined for greatness in NXT and looks to be their next main star. He has already won the opportunity to challenge Shinsuke Nakamura for his NXT Championship, as he looks to add some gold to his name by winning the title and with the possibility of Nakamura and Joe getting promoted in 2017 looking very likely, Roode will probably be the main guy for NXT after their departure and will look to dazzle everyone with his "Glorious" personality.
8 1. WILL SEE: Shinsuke Nakamura
"The King of Strong Style" has been quite the ruler of NXT ever since making his debut in NXT earlier this year, as the amazingly entertaining athlete has had an incredibly dominating run so far in his WWE career. After impressing everyone with an amazing debut match against Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover: Dallas, Nakamura went onto mesmerize the fans with his irresistible charisma and strong style of wrestling, as the growth in popularity meant he got put into the main event scene where he won the NXT Championship. Nakamura might have become 2-time NXT Championship by reclaiming his title from Samoa Joe, but he needs to be in the main roster by the end of 2017 as the star quality he possesses needs to be fully utilized at the grand stages of the main shows as the King can move onto conquering the main roster in 2017 and gaining even more followers with his amazing personality.