The natural progression for most WWE stars is to begin in NXT before being called up to Raw or SmackDown, where talents remain for the rest of their time in the company.
That is not always how things go however, as sometimes the transition from the WWE Performance Center to main roster television isn’t a smooth one, and talent struggle to achieve the same amount of success on the bigger stage.
While there are many factors that can result in this happening, sometimes a career can be turned around by taking a temporary backwards step, and returning to where they began their journeys.
With Raw’s Grayson Waller and The Creed Brothers doing just that in recent months, here are two WWE SmackDown stars to potentially be added to the NXT roster:
Baron Corbin
It has now been three months since Baron Corbin returned to WWE after almost two years away from the company, and for the most part it has been a successful second stint in the company.
It started in about as perfect a way possible, with Corbin winning the United States Championship from Trick Williams at SummerSlam in his very first match back, but this run was ultimately short-lived, as he dropped the belt back to Williams just over a month later.
Corbin is now off WWE TV for the foreseeable future after being punted in the head by Cody Rhodes on the October 16 episode of SmackDown. While it would probably be preferable for WWE to find something worthwhile for Corbin to do upon his return on SmackDown, a return to NXT may bear more fruit.
This is a move that Corbin is no stranger to, having done the same to great success back in 2023 when his main roster career was in a rut. Now, it would be extreme to say he’s in as desperate a situation now considering he’s only three months into his WWE return, but it is always an option for WWE if they don’t have anything for him to do on the blue brand.
Jordynne Grace
Jordynne Grace’s time on WWE SmackDown has been a bit of a head scratcher to say the least.
“The Juggernaut” was called up from WWE NXT at the beginning of the year and was immediately positioned as a challenger for Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Title. While she failed to win that title, she then pivoted to targeting Giuila’s United States Championship, only to also fall short when she was defeated by Tiffany Stratton in a number one contender’s match on the April 17 episode of SmackDown.
Now we’re in late October and that appearance is still her most recent on the blue brand, with only a handful of matches on WWE Main Event coming her way after that between April and June.
There have reportedly been pitches for a new tag team of Grace and Ivy Nile – with vignettes even being filmed for the duo – however, it’s unclear whether they will actually see the light of day.
If we’re being real, Grace was maybe called up from NXT a smidge too early, as she had yet to win any championships on the brand before she was moved up. Whether it be alongside Nile or just as a singles act, NXT may be the best place for the former TNA star to reignite her WWE run.
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