5 main roster WWE Superstars who returned to NXT
From black-and-gold to 2.0, NXT is no stranger to familiar faces of the past popping up every now and again.
As of now, Natalya's recent confrontation with Cora Jade marks the latest example of a main roster superstar making an NXT return.
During the segment, Nattie gave Jade her props and went as far as calling her the future of the women's division. She followed up that statement with a claim that "the future is bleak," a slap to the face, and a Sharpshooter.
What started out as an emotional heart-to-heart between a veteran and a young star soon manifested into something totally different.
While The BOAT's surprise appearance may have come as a shock, this is far from the only time this sort of thing has happened.
If you're looking for a few reminders, here are 5 examples.
#5. Sasha Banks returns to her old stomping grounds
What. A. BATTLE!
#NXTGAB @shirai_io @SashaBanksWWE https://t.co/mXJ1EKlzJF
Sasha Banks and Bayley were NXT mainstays during the black-and-gold era. Back then, the two women were a total contrast of styles.
Sasha Banks was the best and she knew it. Bayley played the hug-giving-babyface you couldn't help but root for.
However, a span of half a decade changed things drastically.
The Boss wasn't the only one heeling it up on the weekly with a mega-sized ego trip anymore. It was now the year 2020 and Bayley's level of arrogance was on par with her villainous partner in crime.
The duo -- known as The Golden Role Models -- were a force to be reckoned with in WWE's women's division. So, it was only natural that Banks and Bayley headed back to their old stomping ground to compete with the best that NXT had to offer at the time.
Banks returned to the brand with everyone's favorite Role Model to take on Io Shirai in a non-title match that did not disappoint. After an exciting back and forth bout that saw Bayley interfere on Banks' behalf, Shirai emerged victorious after help from Asuka.
#4. Finn Balor recaptures the NXT Title in the midst of his epic return
"As of now, @FinnBalor is NXT."
#WWENXT #NXTChampionship #NXTonUSA https://t.co/PYmnSbWwbH
Sometimes WWE Superstars' returns to NXT last a week or two, while others last longer. It was the latter for Finn Bálor.
This run was similar to his first in many ways, but his surprising heel turn certainly wasn't one of them. He shockingly attacked Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Wrestling while all four members of The Undisputed Era posed in the ring.
After a brief stint as a bad guy, he turned face and went on to defeat Adam Cole for the vacant NXT Title on the September 8 edition of NXT in 2020.
Moreover, Bálor was able to make magic happen with stars like Matt Riddle, Damian Priest, Adam Cole, and Kyle O’Reilly all in the span of a couple years.
It has long been debated whether Bálor has ever been booked properly on WWE's main roster. But it's safe to say that both his NXT stints were a huge success.
#3. Mandy Rose's toxic reincarnation
EXCLUSIVE: #ToxicAttraction are a force to be reckoned with. You've been warned #WWENXT. @WWE_MandyRose @gigidolin_wwe @jacyjaynewwe https://t.co/WrCIZWm9rY
While Mandy's original NXT run saw her sport her signature blonde locks, this wasn't the case the second time around. She'd now transitioned from blonde to brunette.
Perhaps most notable, she'd resorted to her old self as well. You know? The self-entitled, self-aggrandizing, self-absorbed mean girl who was obsessed with herself and her looks before her fling with Otis?
Yes, that old self.
With her retro persona back, Mandy Rose eventually defeated Raquel Rodriguez (González) for the NXT Women's Title at Halloween Havoc in 2021 and has yet to be beaten for it.
Since her big win, Toxic Attraction has had something of a stranglehold on NXT's women's division with all three members currently holding gold.
#2. Dolph Ziggler shocks the world with his return... then shocks the world again
.@HEELZiggler is the NEWWWWW NXT Champion!!!
#WWENXT https://t.co/HwRqnLwl0C
While it won't go down as his most memorable run on NXT, The Show Off was initially a pro for Jacob Novak and Byron Saxton before the brand came to be what we know it as today.
Ziggler recently returned to NXT and challenged Bron Breakker to a match for the NXT Title in a bout that also featured Tommaso Ciampa. While the majority of the WWE Universe assumed that he had no chance of winning, he surprised everyone by defeating both Breakker and Ciampa, with Robert Roode's help, for the title.
While the shocking turn of events continued when Ziggler retained the title at Stand & Deliver, Bron defeated him 2 days later on Monday Night RAW.
#1. Charlotte Flair reigns once more as the NXT Women's Champion
#AndNew.
Once again.
@MsCharlotteWWE is your #WWENXT #WomensChampion! #WrestleMania https://t.co/ShdV54oXZC
At the 2020 Women's Royal Rumble, Charlotte Flair stood victorious and as per tradition, she earned herself a women's title match at WrestleMania. Her opponent of choice was Rhea Ripley, the NXT Women's Champion at the time.
Flair returned to NXT programming prior to the match, where she'd confront Rhea and Bianca Belair despite the fact that "she didn't even go there," as Belair would famously point out.
She'd go on to defeat Ripley at WrestleMania 36, becoming a two-time NXT Women's Champion in the process.
Back in the day, Charlotte's gimmick revolved around her family lineage, but now she was The Queen, and there was no need to use the fact that she was a Flair as proof that she was an exceptional performer.
Following the win, Flair technically "went there" once more for 63 days before she was defeated by Io Shirai in a triple threat match that also involved Rhea Ripley at NXT Takeover: In Your House.