Despite rebranding to NXT 2.0 in 2021, NXT is once again back to just being WWE NXT. With Triple H now in charge of creative for WWE as a whole, there has been a shift away from some of the worst parts of the 2.0 show, while other aspects have stuck around.
Looking at NXT's current roster, one thing that is for certain is that the show has youth on its side. Filled to the brim with promising young talent, there are many names in NXT that will likely be staples of mainstream wrestling for years to come, both inside and out of WWE. In looking at the roster, there are some names that could thrive under Tony Khan's booking in AEW right now, while others, would fare worse.
10 Grayson Waller - Would Fail
Making his wrestling debut in 2017, Australian superstar Grayson Waller is one of the major names of NXT's 2.0 era. Getting a push as one of the midcard heels on the show, Waller even made appearances on Raw in 2022 for a crossover program with AJ Styles, though aside from that, he has yet to do all that much in WWE or NXT.
Waller's claims to fame in NXT are attacking Johnny Gargano in late 2021 to write Johnny off TV and hosting his talk show segment, The Waller Effect. Still having failed to truly breakout our accomplish anything, Waller feels like a name that would flop hard under Tony Khan's watch.
9 Sarray - Would Thrive
Upon her arrival in NXT, Sarray seemed to be hyped as the next big joshi star for WWE, following in the footsteps of Asuka, Io Shirai, and Kairi Sane. This would never come to fruition, as Sarray started out somewhat strong before falling down the card. She would even get to a point where she was being used as an enhancement talent under Triple H.
With NXT 2.0, Sarray would be given a Japanese schoolgirl gimmick, eventually feuding with Tiffany Stratton where she would regularly lose every match. Looking to how Joshi stars, Riho and Hikaru Shida have been treated in AEW, both former champions, Sarray would likely be able to shine once again in AEW.
8 Joe Gacy - Would Fail
Originally debuting with a controversial gimmick that would even get mainstream news attention, Joe Gacy would slowly devolve into a cheap version of Bray Wyatt during a period where Wyatt was out of the company. Introducing Druids and kidnapping Rick Steiner, Gacy's time in NXT has not been great, though he now leads his own faction alongside the former Grizzled Young Veterans and Ava Raine.
As a wrestler, Gacy has not had any true standout performances in NXT, and as a character, he has only seen his stock fall, with many fans tiring of his gimmick and character over the past year. AEW just does not feel like it would be a good fit for him, although maybe a character refresh would help.
7 Nathan Frazer - Would Thrive
Some fans may remember Ben Carter's brief run in AEW during the Pandemic era, shining in an AEW Dark match with fellow young star, Lee Johnson. He would also feature in a special Late Night Dynamite episode in which he would take Scorpio Sky to his limits in a 15-minute battle. Tony Khan clearly saw a lot of upside in the talent, though without a VISA, he was not able to stay in the United States.
Carter would return to the United Kingdom, signing with NXT UK and performing there until he would later arrive in NXT. With his new ring name of Nathan Frazer, he has stood out in his matches while also having a great entrance. Still, one can only imagine some of the dream matches for Frazer within AEW.
6 Nikkita Lyons - Would Fail
Arriving on the scene in NXT 2.0 with quite a bit of fanfare, Nikkita Lyons would go viral during her debut thanks to a very suggestive pin attempt. Lyons, similar to Toxic Attraction, has risen in popularity on the show thanks to her great looks rather than due to her being one of the best wrestlers on the show.
While she may not be a great in-ring wrestler, one cannot deny Nikkita Lyons' look. One area where she could likely find success within AEW is by attaching herself to Jade Cargill's faction, known as The Baddies. Aside from that, there is no clear lane of success for her should she jump to AEW.
5 Blair Davenport - Would Thrive
For those who were not watching AEW during its first year, many may not realize that Blair Davenport is a former AEW Wrestler. Joining the company in 2019, she would perform under her former name, Bea Priestley. An early rivalry with Britt Baker would be the highlight of her career under Tony Khan, though in early 2020, she was gearing up to challenge for the AEW Women's Championship. COVID-19 would hit, Priestley would return to the United Kingdom for lockdown, asking to get released due to not being able to fly back to the States.
Untimely injuries would prevent her from winning the NXT UK Women's Championship after joining the promotion. Looking at how she was positioned for the year she was in AEW, it would not be a surprise to see her booked strongly, especially with her connections to Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, & Britt Baker.
4 Von Wagner - Would Fail
One of the strangest cases since NXT's rebrand to NXT 2.0 is none other than Von Wagner. Originally pushed as a babyface, with no real connection to the crowd, the creative team behind the show would pair Wagner up with Kyle O'Reilly during his final months with the promotion before heading to AEW. The two would form an odd connection through camping before Wagner would turn his back on Kyle.
Since then, Von Wagner has not done all that much to impress NXT fans. He's certainly a find wrestler, but lacks any real charm or charisma and just feels like a random guy on a show that prides itself on diversity and variety. In the off chance that Wagner would jump to AEW, he feels more like an AEW Dark regular than a talent regularly appearing on TV. At the very least, they would be able to play off his history with Kyle O'Reilly.
3 The Creed Brothers - Would Thrive
While all NXT fans may not watch AEW, one thing that cannot be denied is that All Elite Wrestling puts an emphasis on tag-team wrestling more so than any other major promotion currently. With a loaded roster of teams including The Young Bucks, FTR, Top Flight, Dark Order, Best Friends, and House of Black, AEW has a lot of tag teams, and with The Creed Brothers becoming breakout sensations during their time in NXT, one could argue AEW has the best dream matches for the dominant brothers.
While The Creeds still have plenty more room to grow, it seems to be a shared belief amongst wrestling fans that these two are one of the brightest young teams in all of wrestling right now. Seeing them eventually jump to AEW would be a huge boost for an already great tag-team division, while also offering plenty of fresh matches for them to take part in.
2 Mandy Rose - Would Fail
Arguably one of the most polarizing wrestlers alive right now, Mandy Rose has become the pinnacle of the NXT Women's Division, holding the NXT Women's Championship for over a year and unifying the belt with the NXT UK Women's Championship. During her reign, Mandy has proven that you do not need to be a great wrestler to be at the top, delivering some of the worst rated NXT Title Matches in the promotion's history.
Rose, the leader of Toxic Attraction, took NXT by storm in 2021, as the unit would dominate the scene, with Mandy capturing the singles title for the women, and Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne becoming two-time NXT Women's Tag Team Champions. With gimmicks and characters solely based around their looks and sex appeal, Toxic Attraction are the most one dimensional characters in NXT right now, and with Mandy failing to improve her in-ring skills despite wrestling since 2015, she would not be a good addition to AEW's women's division which is on the rise.
1 Carmelo Hayes - Would Thrive
Similar to The Creed Brothers, Carmelo Hayes has been one of the standout stars in NXT since the rebrand in 2021. Making waves as one of the more gifted athletes on the show, Carmelo would win the NXT North American Championship before unifying the belt with the Cruiserweight Championship. Putting on a number of thrilling matches, Carmelo has proven to be one of the best and brightest young stars in the entire wrestling scene.
Having a fairly limitless ceiling in wrestling, Carmelo Hayes could wind up main-eventing WrestleMania one day if he continues strongly within WWE. However, a run in AEW with big-time matches against the likes of Dante Martin, PAC, Swerve Strickland, Buddy Matthews, and Wheeler Yuta could be great match-ups for Hayes, someone who could surely rise up the ranks of AEW to one day become World Champion.
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