WWE Rumors: Popular NXT star set for a call-up?
What's the story?
Earlier this week, Mike Johnson of PWInsider reported that NXT superstar Candice LeRae would be working some SmackDown house shows over the month of March. According to PWInsider, she's now set to be joined by another, even bigger name from NXT, that being Mae Young Classic winner and former NXT Women's Champion Kairi Sane.
In case you didn't know...
Despite losing the NXT Women's Championship back to Shayna Baszler at WWE Evolution in October, Kairi Sane has kept a high profile on the yellow brand, teaming with her friend Io Shirai against Baszler and her fellow MMA "horsewomen," Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, who cost her the championship on two occasions.
Sane would also go on to win big at the NXT Year-End Awards in January. She secured both the Female and Overall Competitor of the Year awards on the TakeOver: Phoenix pre-show, and then appeared for the second time in the women's Royal Rumble match the next night.
The heart of the matter
Kairi Sane worked the SmackDown house show circuit for the first time earlier this month, reportedly to good reception both in the ring and backstage. According to Johnson, she's now set to return, joining LeRae for some of SmackDown's house shows during the month of March.
The presence of an NXT superstar during a WWE house show loop is usually considered a sign that a main roster call-up is coming sooner or later, depending on how things go. Sane being invited back suggests that things have gone well for her so far.
With SmackDown Women's Champion Asuka lacking credible competition, Kairi Sane's presence on the blue brand would certainly be welcome. She would be an instant boost to a depleted women's division and many WWE fans have dreamed about a match between her and the current champion.
What's next?
Kairi Sane looks set to make another attempt at the NXT Women's Championship, judging by the yellow brand's latest episode, but Io Shirai is considered the heavy favorite to ultimately challenge and dethrone Shayna Baszler at NXT TakeOver: New York. The next couple of tapings could feasibly wrap up Sane's business at Full Sail, possibly with her failing to win a triple threat #1 contender's match featuring Shirai and Bianca BelAir.