WWE Rumors: More Superstars don't want to go to the main roster just like Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa turned quite a few heads with the comments he made on Lillian Garcia's Chasing Glory show. Ciampa said that he would rather retire than move to RAW or SmackDown.
The former NXT Champion reportedly even told the WWE management that he has no intentions of moving up to the main roster.
He said:
"I legitimately vocalized to them, if I have to go to RAW or SmackDown then I’m gonna retire. I would love to produce or coach or be a part of it, but there’s no way I’m taking on that load and going, ‘Yeah, I’ll just have a six-month run and then call it quits.’ I just won’t do that. It’s not worth it to me."
Dave Meltzer provided some insight on Ciampa's comments in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Meltzer claimed that there are many Superstars in WWE who are not in the company for the money. Top NXT talents get paid one-fourth or one-sixth of the lower card talents on SmackDown and RAW. Superstars such as Balor get paid on par with the Superstars from RAW and SmackDown.
Meltzer stated that there are guys who don't want to get called up to the main roster. One of the biggest reasons why a section of the NXT talents wish to stay in the Triple H-led show is because of its lighter schedule.
Top NXT Superstars are exempted from working house shows, which keeps their bodies fresh for TV and PPV appearances. It was also added that NXT house shows draw, despite the big names not being featured, and that the lesser-known talents are actually in more need of house show exposure. This makes it a win-win situation.
NXT Superstars don't have to work 200+ dates a year like the Superstars from RAW and SmackDown and that's a big positive.
NXT's stock has risen since the advent of the Wednesday Night Wars with AEW and that has changed the perception of it being just a development brand. Those days are long gone. The black and gold brand has been the most consistent wrestling show in WWE for many years and it now has some of the best wrestlers in the world who have been booked like major Superstars.
We could be heading towards an era where Superstars from RAW and SmackDown push for a move to NXT, similar to what Balor did.