5 NXT Superstars who could join WWE's main roster after WrestleMania 35
WWE has announced that the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up will take place on Raw and SmackDown Live on April 15-16, one week after WrestleMania 35.
It has become a tradition for WWE to call up several Superstars from NXT after each WrestleMania, with established names including Shinsuke Nakamura, Ember Moon and AOP debuting on the main roster within 48 hours of ‘Mania in the last two years.
NXT Superstars EC3, Otis, Tucker, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Aleister Black, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have all appeared on Raw and SmackDown Live in recent months, so it remains to be seen if WWE will go down a similar route to previous years with regards to post-Mania call-ups or whether they have enough talent to work with already.
Despite the high number of main-roster additions of late, there are still several Superstars in NXT who have little left to achieve in WWE’s ‘developmental’ brand and, when the time is right, they have proven that they are ready to make the switch to Raw and SmackDown Live.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five most likely Superstars/teams that could become part of WWE’s Monday and Tuesday night programming after WrestleMania 35.
#5 Lars Sullivan
WWE began airing vignettes for Lars Sullivan in November 2018 during the Survivor Series pay-per-view. As the weeks went on, more and more NXT Superstars were advertised for – and subsequently appeared on – Raw and SmackDown Live, but there was no sign of Sullivan.
It was widely reported in January 2019 that, on the night that he was due to debut on Raw to set up a WrestleMania 35 storyline with John Cena, “The Freak” suffered an anxiety attack and this is the reason why he is yet to make his long-awaited first appearance on the main roster.
The only official word on Sullivan’s situation came from Triple H, who said in late January during a media call: "There’s a lot of speculation and stories about all people at all times. Lars is in a good place and nothing has really changed. We’re moving forward and you’ll know when you see it."
Assuming Sullivan is ready to debut, he will be one of the leading contenders to be called up next from NXT.