Predicting when every NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia star will join WWE's main roster
WWE kicked off Royal Rumble weekend with another brilliant NXT TakeOver event, with Adam Cole vs. Aleister Black and Andrade “Cien” Almas vs. Johnny Gargano producing two early contenders for Match of the Year.
While some of the performers from the five matches in Philadelphia are almost certain to make the step up to WWE’s main roster soon, it looks like others will remain in NXT for the foreseeable future.
In this article, we predict when all 12 Superstars who featured in matches at TakeOver will eventually join Raw or SmackDown Live.
Disclaimer: A surprise appearance in the Royal Rumble usually doesn’t lead to an immediate main-roster call-up, so we’re discounting potential Rumble appearances in our predictions.
#5 Authors of Pain & Undisputed Era
Authors of Pain: Depending who you believe, Akam and Rezar have either been in NXT for long enough and they should be called up to the main roster immediately, or they are still raw talents who need a few more months training at the Performance Centre. Either way, we can expect AOP to join Raw or SmackDown at some point in 2018, with a permanent call-up likely to come shortly after WrestleMania 34.
Undisputed Era: Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish will be on the main roster one day, but not yet. They only joined NXT in mid-2017 and their Tag Team title reign is just getting started. With AOP and SAnitY surely destined for the big stage before them, it’s safe to say O’Reilly and Fish will remain in NXT for the whole of 2018. We reckon they’ll be heading to the main roster around mid-2019.