5 Burning questions about non-title holders in NXT
It's safe to say that NXT is currently ruled by major stars like the Undisputed Era, Johnny Gargano, Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Tommaso Ciampa, Bianca Belair, Keith Lee, and the BroserWeights. While most of those aforementioned stars are holding gold at the moment, it doesn't mean that they are the only ones worth caring about on the Black and Gold brand.
NXT held the Breakout Tournament last year, and after Jordan Myles won and left the company in the same year, we have seen a handful of the participants on NXT TV. Cameron Grimes and Angel Garza have been featured regularly most weeks while the likes of Bronson Reed and Swerve Scott have as well. But unlike Garza, Grimes, and Scott, people like Dexter Lumis and Boa have either been sparingly used or not used at all on Wednesday nights.
The NXT roster is so stacked that it is impossible to get every person that is ready for a shot onto TV or into a program. And with new signings like Timothy Thatcher, Jake Atlas and Jorge Bolly (former El Hijo del Fantasma and King Cuerno) waiting in the wings at the WWE Performance Center, things will continue to be crowded at Full Sail.
TakeOver events often feature all of the titles as well as one or two heated singles matches. While those competing in the matches at the TakeOver events often get the most angles and TV time, it's not to say that there aren't some other stars and storylines that are intriguing. Here are five questions surrounding NXT talents that aren't currently carrying NXT gold.
#5 With Shayna Baszler a part of the main roster, what becomes of Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke?
It's been a while since we have seen both Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke on NXT TV. They usually flank Shayna Baszler and did just that as long as the Queen of Spades held the NXT Women's title.
Since we last saw them, Baszler has dropped the title, entered the Royal Rumble and attacked Becky Lynch. The Queen of Spades was later added to the Women's Elimination Chamber match next month.
Shafir and Duke worked the best as pawns of Baszler. Now that she's seemingly moved on from NXT, where does that leave the other two active members of the Four Horsewomen of MMA? Duke and Shafir still needed some polish on their in-ring work so perhaps they are doing just that at the WWE PC.
A lot depends on what Vince McMahon wants to do with Baszler. If he just wants her, then the other two will remain in NXT. If they want to add another layer to the inevitable title feud between Lynch and the former UFC fighter, then bringing the other two women up would make some sense. Until Baszler likely wins the EC match, we'll have to be comfortable with seeing Shafir on the tights of the Velveteen Dream.