5 main roster WWE Superstars who are open to a return to NXT
Several main roster WWE Superstars have returned to NXT over the past few years. Mandy Rose, for example, returned to the brand last year. She has since become the top female superstar on the roster, holding the Undisputed NXT Women's Championship. Finn Balor also returned to NXT in 2019. He spent about two years, during which time he won the NXT Championship, before joining the main roster again in 2021.
Meanwhile, a few other main roster superstars have also expressed their openness to a return to WWE's third brand. One of these wrestlers has already named her desired opponent on NXT 2.0.
Here are five main roster WWE Superstars who are open to a return to NXT.
#5. Ricochet
After competing for nearly a decade and a half on the independent circuit, Ricochet signed with WWE in January 2018. The high-flyer then joined the NXT roster.
The 33-year-old spent nearly a year on WWE's third brand, during which he won the NXT North American Championship, before making his main roster debut in February 2019 on Monday Night RAW.
In an interview with Cultaholic last May, the former Intercontinental Champion disclosed that he would like to have one more run in NXT.
"AJ went back and now Nattie's down there and all these guys are going back down there, and it seems like they're having a great time. Me and Carmelo [Hayes] had a thing. If Carmelo wants the heat, he can have it but whoever it is I would love to go down there. That's always been a home of mine so, any time," he said. (H/T: GiveMeSport)
Ricochet is currently active on SmackDown. However, he has recently made a few appearances on NXT 2.0. Two weeks ago, he defeated Trick Williams on WWE's third brand.
#4. Angelo Dawkins
After debuting in 2016, Angelo Dawkins spent nearly three years as an active competitor on NXT, alongside his Street Profits tag team partner Montez Ford. During their run on WWE's third brand, the two once held the NXT Tag Team Titles.
Since joining the main roster, The Street Profits have become one of the company's top tag teams. After capturing the SmackDown Tag Team Titles and the RAW Tag Team Championships, they became the second-ever WWE Tag Team Triple Crown Champions.
However, Dawkins has expressed his openness to having another run in NXT in an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling:
"Oh, you know, it's up in the air. I don't want to say never say never. I see a lot of teams down there that are doing some things. The Creed Brothers, got a lot of love for them. They're from Ohio, best state in the world (laughs). I've seen them, Trick (Williams) and Carmelo Hayes, those guys I like them a lot. I'm a big fan of Chase U, Chase University. But yeah man, I wouldn't mind going back down there, see my boy Apollo is down there so I wouldn't mind going back to the place I used to practice all those years," he said.
The Street Profits are currently on the Monday Night RAW roster. Nevertheless, they have also made several appearances on SmackDown in the past few weeks. The former RAW Tag Team Champions recently teamed up with Hit Row to defeat Maximum Male Models and Los Lotharios on the Blue Brand.
#3. Robert Roode
Robert Roode competed for several years in different promotions, including IMPACT Wrestling, before joining WWE in 2016. The 46-year-old then spent about a year wrestling on NXT before making his main roster debut in August 2017.
During his time in WWE's third brand, Roode had a lot of success. He held the NXT Championship for 202 days between January and August 2017. Although he has been on the main roster for nearly five years now, the former United States Champion is open to a return to NXT, as he told ComicBook in 2020:
"NXT was a great spot for me. When I first came to WWE, I was able to be a part of that brand early on, and do my part and try to really grow that brand, and had the opportunity to be their champion, and to be on top, and to main event TakeOvers. That was just a great experience and the brand itself has now grown even larger. So wherever the job takes me, I'm going to be there and I'm going to do everything I can to be a guy that the brand can lean on, and to be in the mix, and to take every opportunity that is given to me and make the best of it. So whether that's on Raw, whether that's on SmackDown, or whether that's on NXT, I'm going to do everything I can to stand out and to work my way towards being a champion again," he said.
Roode is currently on the Monday Night RAW roster. However, he last competed on WWE television in April, when he participated in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on SmackDown.
#2. WWE RAW Women's Champion Bianca Belair
In 2016, Bianca Belair signed a developmental contract with WWE and reported to the Performance Center. The EST of WWE then spent about four years competing on NXT before making her main roster debut in 2020.
Despite her abilities, Belair never won the NXT Women's Championship during her time in WWE's third brand. However, she has had more success since joining the main roster, capturing the SmackDown Women's Title and the RAW Women's Championship.
In a recent interview with the In the Kliq podcast, Belair revealed that despite her success on the main roster, she is still interested in winning the NXT Women's Title. She also stated that she would like to have a feud with the Undisputed NXT Women's Champion, Mandy Rose:
"I'm a homegrown talent, so it exceeds where it all started. So it would really feel full circle to go back at some point in time. Right now, maybe not right now because I'm Raw Women's Champion, but you know, I never got to win the NXT Women's Title. So, I mean, I would love to go back and Mandy Rose is doing amazing things right now. I've never gotten to have a feud with Mandy on NXT Raw or Smackdown. So maybe Mandy Rose," she said. (H/T: Fightful)
Belair is now the RAW Women's Champion. Last Monday, she successfully defended her title against Sonya Deville.
#1. Drew McIntyre
After wrestling on the independent circuit for a few years, Drew McIntyre joined WWE in 2007. His first run lasted about seven years before the company released him from his contract in 2014.
Three years later, McIntyre returned to the Stamford-based company. This time, however, he joined the NXT roster. He spent about a year on the brand, during which he won the NXT Championship once, before moving to Monday Night RAW in April 2018.
Despite now being one of the top superstars on the main roster, the two-time WWE Champion recently revealed that he would like to one day return to NXT:
I've been so busy traveling recently, but I've been reading the reports about how many people are popping up in NXT from RAW and SmackDown. If they give me the opportunity [I'd like to return]. I used to harass Triple H all the time - I asked constantly - about coming to NXT UK and saying goodbye properly and NXT too. NXT Europe is on the horizon and they need some big moments. Hopefully, McIntyre is part of it," he told The Independent (H/T: Yahoo! News)
McIntyre is now active on SmackDown. The Scottish Warrior is currently feuding with Karrion Kross.