Royal Rumble Is The Perfect Time For NXT To Shine

One of the WWE’s premier wrestling events is now less than a week away, as the Royal Rumble is closing in fast. 30 men will compete in professional wrestling’s most compelling gimmick match for the right to book a place in the main event of WrestleMania 31, in a match for the WWE Championship. Speaking of the WWE Championship, Brock Lesnar will defend his coveted title belt against John Cena and Seth Rollins, the winner likely to be the other half of the main event on the Grandest Stage of Them All.

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Yet, besides these two standout bouts, the remaining bouts on the card are slightly disappointing. With so many bodies being taken up in the show’s signature contest, it is expected that the rest of the matches on offer will not have the same impetus. Currently, the Ascension will battle the New Age Outlaws in a tag team match, the Divas division is represented by another tag team bout between The Bella Twins against Paige and Natalya, and the Tag Team Championship match featuring The Usos and The Miz & Damien Mizdow. Whilst the Rumble match itself will undoubtedly last upwards of an hour and the WWE Championship will be a lengthy affair too, the card still appears rather shy of complete.

This is where NXT comes in, as the developmental roster could prove an interesting support for one of the WWE’s biggest events of the year. According to PWInsider, there is currently discussion backstage suggesting that one or two spots in the Royal Rumble could be afforded to NXT superstars. The idea of seeing a high-flier like Adrian Neville, a powerhouse Baron Corbin, or an international sensation such as Finn Balor locking it up with established stars would be a mouth-watering prospect. In a similar vein to the brief impact Rusev made in last year’s event, even a short but noticeable stint for a couple of NXT’s top prospects could do a great deal in endearing them to the fans.

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This would obviously be one of the most interesting means to insert the NXT superstars onto the Royal Rumble card. However, it is not the only course they could take. With the majority of the main roster focused into the 30-man battle royal, including most of the main event and mid-card talent, rather than support the rest of the contests with uninspiring filler and backstage segments, a ten-minute NXT match could be an excellent way to build towards the premier contest.

There has already been some speculation as to whether the NXT Championship, or some other NXT-related match, would take place at the upcoming WrestleMania 31, after a “5 Things” segment suggested that fans were clamoring for such a contest. The NXT brand has begun to take on a life of its own, and although intimately connected to the WWE roster, has developed its own fan base and cult following. The performances of a number of its competitors have endeared them to their audience, with many making comparisons between them and the main shows that are unflattering to those on the full WWE roster.

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Nevertheless, before deciding whether or not to feature an NXT contest on the biggest PPV of the year, the Royal Rumble is undoubtedly the best event to test the concept of placing the developmental stars on real PPVs. With so many top stars preoccupied with the huge final match and the WWE Championship match, the Royal Rumble opens up a number of slots on the rest of the card that could be easily filled with an NXT bout.

How about, for example, the NXT superstars compete in a 15/20 man battle royal as a preview for the Rumble, or maybe even on the pre-show, with the winner earning a spot in the actual main event itself. Failing this, due to the fact that a pre-show match between the New Day and Adam Rose, Cesaro & Tyson Kidd has already been announced, maybe something as simple as an NXT Championship or NXT Women’s Championship match. To see Sami Zayn face a filler opponent like Tyler Breeze, Curtis Axel or Titus O’Neil would be a great exposition of his talents, and build some intrigue for casual fans before his highly-anticipated match with Kevin Steen at the upcoming Takeover event.

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So, what do you guys think? Should the Royal Rumble be a testing ground for NXT’s top prospects, and which stars from the developmental roster would you like to see in the Rumble match itself? Leave your comments below.