Over the past few years, WWE has snatched up many of the top independent wrestling talents from around the world. The United Kingdom has seen this happen to the point where there were enough stars to build their own brand. In late 2018, WWE debuted NXT UK and their shows were often met with solid praise.
Recently, a handful of things have stunted the brand. From shows being postponed to many names being released after the #SpeakingOut movement, the future of NXT UK is uncertain. Thankfully, there are plenty of places within WWE for these talents to go. Some will prosper and others will falter.
10 Won't Go Anywhere: Sam Gradwell
If you don't know who Sam Gradwell is, that's understandable. His biggest claim to fame was advancing in the inaugural United Kingdom Championship Tournament before being put down by Pete Dunne.
Gradwell has remained signed to NXT UK since but barely appears on television. In fact, he hasn't wrestled on TV since 2018. If Gradwell isn't able to stand out in NXT UK, he probably won't do so elsewhere.
9 Will Be A Star: Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov is an interesting case. If he were around in the '80s, he would've been remarkable as a vicious foreign villain. In later years, he might've lacked the promo skills to stand out. These days, he's a guy who works.
That's because Dragunov is as intense as they come. While he may never become WWE Champion, he can be a strong piece of the midcard or a member of a tag team. Dragunov already had a great match with Cesaro and was seemingly on a path to a UK Title shot before things shut down.
8 Won't Go Anywhere: Saxon Huxley
Unlike Sam Gradwell, Saxon Huxley has made several appearances on NXT UK. The issue is that he has yet to make an impact. In fact, Huxley was the man eliminated by Gradwell in the United Kingdom Title Tournament back in 2017.
He has mostly been around to take losses to the stars of the brand like Ilja Dragunov and Alexander Wolfe. Huxley is 32-years-old and while that's not old, it doesn't give him a lot of time to break out.
7 Will Be A Star: Kay Lee Ray
When NXT UK first debuted, there were two women who stood out. Rhea Ripley, who has gone on to do incredible things, and Toni Storm. The rest of the division seemed to be at least one step behind them. That changed when Kay Lee Ray arrived.
The Scottish star took the brand by force and dethroned Toni Storm of the NXT UK Women's Championship. Ray was the underrated MVP of the women's War Games match in 2019 and has been brilliant both in the ring and as a character.
6 Won't Go Anywhere: Gallus
It seems like the folks behind NXT UK have been hellbent on pushing the Gallus boys from day one. Most notably, that has been the case for Joe Coffey, who has headlined two NXT UK TakeOver events.
The other members are Mark Coffey and Wolfgang, who became NXT UK Tag Team Champions. Despite the heavy push, not many fans seem all that interested in the three brutes. They feel like they'll get lost in the shuffle on other brands.
5 Will Be A Star: Mustache Mountain
This entry could technically fit all three members of British Strong Style but Pete Dunne has already moved to NXT and was proving himself worthy there. Dunne feels like a top star and won the NXT Tag Team Titles in early 2020.
His buddies Tyler Bate and Trent Seven make up Mustache Mountain. Seven is the veteran and oozes charisma. He'll get over with any crowd because he's so much fun to watch. Meanwhile, Bate is a prodigy. He won the UK Title at 19 and has only gotten better over the past few years to the point where he's already one of the best in the world.
4 Won't Go Anywhere: Noam Dar
Another talent from Scotland, Noam Dar seemed like the kind of guy who would get over. He's solid in the ring and is a genuine heat magnet because of how annoying he is. And yet it has failed to click.
Noam Dar has had some good matches in NXT UK but is mostly forgettable. The same could be said for his tenure on 205 Live where the most notable thing he did was say Alicia Fox's name a lot.
3 Will Be A Star: WALTER
There's something truly special about WALTER. Wherever he goes, he blows the minds of the fans there. WALTER is a big guy but he's not jacked or even in what most would consider great shape. Then, he goes out there and puts on a classic.
WALTER hits ridiculously hard, delivering some of the best chops in history. He feels like a special star and was the man who ended Pete Dunne's legendary 685-day reign as United Kingdom Champion. If WALTER shows up on Raw, Smackdown, or NXT, you better believe he'll shine.
2 Won't Go Anywhere: Joseph Conners
Joseph Conners is one of those wrestlers who was just too bland to ever truly become a star. His first significant push came in PROGRESS Wrestling when he targeted Dunne and the WWE UK Title. However, nobody bought him as a threat.
He'd go out and have matches that fans viewed as lackluster and his character was uninteresting. That translated over to WWE. Even if they managed to find a character or personality that worked for him, his skills between the ropes remain a step behind WWE's talented roster.
1 Will Be A Star: Toni Storm
Toni Storm is everything a promoter could want in a wrestler. At 24 years old, she's young and has a bright future. She's accomplished, having held the NXT UK Women's Title, won the Mae Young Classic, and was the first PROGRESS Women's Champion (as well as hold multiple titles in other companies).
She's also a beautiful woman with a vibrant personality, making her incredibly marketable. To top it all off, she's a fantastic wrestler who has already had stellar bouts around the world. Toni Storm is the definition of a can't miss prospect who will be a star wherever she ends up.