WWE Royal Rumble 2020: 10 NXT stars we want to see competing

Io Shirai

Io Shirai’s heel turn was one of the best of 2019, as she has shown why she’s one of the best wrestlers in the entire world. Hopefully, 2020 will be an even bigger year for Shirai, who can help change the game as an NXT Women’s Champion.

Like Ripley, Shirai appeared in the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble, but she did not make any eliminations despite lasting more than 13 minutes. Expect Shirai to have a few eliminations if she’s in the match, since WWE should want to plant the seed for her becoming a star by the end of the year. Ripley, for example, eliminated three women in her Rumble appearance before being dumped out of the ring by Bayley.

Johnny Gargano

No stranger to Royal Rumble matches, Johnny Gargano made his Rumble debut in 2018 and lasted nearly 14 minutes before being tossed out by Dean Ambrose. His elimination? Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, so that was quite the feather in the cap for Gargano, who had just wrestled a barnburner against Ricochet the night before.

Gargano is one of the biggest stars in wrestling and just might be the best wrestler in the company when looking at match quality. He’s had all-timers with Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, Andrade, and more during his career in NXT.

It’s time Gargano had a truly defining individual performance on the main roster, so a great run in WWE Royal Rumble 2020 would be huge for both him and the brand. And at this point, he is the face of NXT.