Three main roster names that could use a brief run in WWE NXT 2.0

WWE has rebranded NXT into something that would be completely unrecognizable by fans who may have turned away from the product. What they’ve created with NXT 2.0 is a platform that they hope helps build new stars the company can lean on in the future. While that is yet to be seen, one positive step has come up in the practice of sending established names from the main roster to NXT for brief runs. Dolph Ziggler, AJ Styles, and now Natalya is making the move and it’s a fresh look for individuals who are in stagnant spots on the main roster. Looking at SmackDown and Raw, here are three names that could gain from a brief run in NXT.

Ricochet

Ricochet may be listed as a top babyface on the WWE SmackDown depth chart, but his booking doesn’t always equate. The Intercontinental champion is 50 days into his title run and is picking up his share of victories, but that hasn’t stopped WWE from booking him in defeats. He even took two in one night heading into WrestleMania season. The verdict is still out on where his title run will land, but he’s at least actively defending the championship.

Sending him back to NXT would create an interesting opportunity for new matches. This could lead to a title versus title angle with the NXT North American Championship, another belt that Ricochet has held in the past. Or just a run where new names like Xyon Quin, Carmelo Hayes, or Grayson Waller get their crack at the title. Either way, seeing Ricochet back in NXT with his original theme music would turn heads.

Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss is in an understandably frustrating position within WWE. Fans want to see her on television, and she wants to be in front of crowds as well. Yet, WWE cannot find a way to get her creatively involved, even though she’s one of the top women’s stars on the roster. That’s a problem that is a big indictment of the state of WWE’s creative system. Sending her back to NXT could help change that.

While Bliss did have a lengthy run in NXT, she was never seen as a top competitor on that brand. That status changed for her when she was moved up to the main roster. So, imagine a situation where she returns to NXT to get the one championship she’s yet to hold, the NXT Women’s Championship. That would put her against Mandy Rose and Toxic Attraction, setting off a storyline that could be built around the idea that Rose has always been in Bliss’s shadow.

The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods)

The New Day are made men when it comes to WWE. Unfortunately, their last few months have not gone well. From Big E’s lackluster booking as WWE champion, his tragic neck injury, and now the duo being used as fodder – it seems like the WWE has cooled off on the two for the time. Seeing them show up in NXT would be a boost for not only them, but to spur some viewers to the brand to see what is happening.

As a team and individual competitors, there are some great matches to be had in NXT 2.0 for The New Day. Ideas such as Xavier Woods versus Cameron Grimes, or Kofi Kingston versus Santos Escobar, or the New Day versus Grizzled Young Veterans all sound great. Or just let Woods and Malcolm Bivens face-off with microphones in their hands. All that works. Regardless, sending them to NXT would benefit everyone involved.