6 WWE Superstars Who Should Return To NXT For Better Opportunities

There are many WWE superstars that could return to NXT for their career. But which six stars could benefit the most from such a switch?

Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has been on the B-list for a while now. This is insane, considering his popularity back in NXT. 

If you never witnessed Shinsuke Nakamura in NXT, this should help you see why a return would be beneficial.

Shinsuke Nakamura is one of those underused wrestlers with a whole lot of talent. He went from epic NXT entrances to mainly sidekick roles on the main roster. 

The midcard is no place to be for good old Shinsuke Nakamura. And while he obtained some titles, his reigns were anything but memorable.

When he was the WWE US Champion, we barely saw Shinsuke due to poor booking. 

Later he received the Intercontinental Title. However, this was as a part of a collective with Cesaro and Sami Zayn. 

A far from ideal situation for Shinsuke. Maybe he is one of the superstars who needs a return to NXT the most?

Liv Morgan

WWE has never been invested in Liv Morgan. Despite standing out in The Riott Squad, her bookings leave much to be desired these days.

Once The Riott Squad broke up, Morgan got a complete makeover. Then, there was the surprise reveal that she was Lana’s lover. 

If WWE stuck with Liv, she would have been quite big. Unfortunately, the right bookings and feuds never came.

Liv could make some waves on the NXT roster. In fact, I see her as a believable champion and potential opponent for Io Shirai.

As one of the most underused wrestlers, Liv Morgan could return to NXT at any point. However, it would have to be after the Io Shirai and Ember Moon feud.

Speaking of which, Ember Moon recently made a victorious return to the black and gold brand. And just look at the success Finn Balor had since he left the main roster (ignoring his recent jaw injury).

Carmella

Carmella is another one of our superstars who could benefit from a return to NXT. All you have to do is look at her recent track record. 

During her NXT days, Carmella was paired with Big Cass and Enzo Amore. At the time, she was also seeing Big Cass romantically.

But things fell apart when they went to the main roster. First, she was separated from Enzo and Cass. 

Enzo and Cass split up later, saying goodbye to the gimmick forever. Then, Carmella also split up from Cass.

Carmella did get some accolades on the main roster. After all, The Princess of Staten Island won the SmackDown Women’s Championship in 2018. 

The Princess of Staten Island was also the first woman to win the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match. 

Irregardless of her accolades, Carmella barely received decent feuds. Opportunities were few and far in between after her original championship run as well. 

Elias

One of the most underused male wrestlers on the roster is undoubtedly Elias. From the moment he was called up from NXT, his appearances have been quite sporadic.

Things did not start too bad for Elias. After all, he won against major stars such as Finn Balor and John Cena.

And while his songs were immensely popular among fans, it did not translate into substantial title wins. 

On the other hand, Elias did capture the 24/7 title numerous times. Still, he did not mention to push R-Truth off the proverbial 24/7 throne. 

Since Elias does not get opportunities on the main roster, he might as well return to NXT. His popularity could be restored there without question.

Once his popularity is restored, and he becomes a serious competitor again, he can always return to the main roster.

Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin had plenty of opportunities on the main roster. In fact, it is claimed Vince McMahon is quite fond of this WWE superstar.

So, why did he make our list of superstars that should return to NXT? Well, we believe Corbin’s gimmick is a little burned out on the main roster.

Corbin had feuds with countless major stars, including Roman Reigns. But in the process, it seems that no feud including Corbin is exciting at the moment.

NXT could be the perfect opportunity for Corbin to reinvent himself as a heel. At the moment, he has reached his glass ceiling on the main roster.

The proverbial glass ceiling can be a death sentence for the career of many superstars. 

Interestingly enough, Baron Corbin never reached the biggest heights in NXT. While he was popular with the crowd in NXT, big titles never truly arrived.

Unfortunately, the King of the Ring gimmick has now run its course on the main roster. Maybe it is time for the Lone Wolf to find another gimmick on the black and gold brand. 

Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler’s pushes have been quite inconsistent on the main roster. Originally booked as the woman who would dethrone Becky Lynch, things would go downhill for the dominant NXT champion quickly.

While she recently formed a “successful tag team” alongside Nia Jax, this is not the direction for this hard-hitting champion. In fact, many were quite surprised to learn about the matchup. 

Baszler was one of the most dominant women’s champions of all time on the NXT brand. To make her a tag team competitor on the main roster makes no sense.

While Io Shirai does a great job as the current champion on the NXT brand, a return for Shayna would be extremely interesting. Having these two women face each other would be a dream match come true.

There were some rumors that Vince was not too fond of Shayna’s gimmick, which could be the reason why she was paired with Jax. 

I also have to wonder, what will happen to Baszler and Jax once they drop the titles to another tag team. Jax has already established herself, but Baszler could disappear in the background once more.

Maybe a return to the black and gold brand after her tag team reign might be the better option? Otherwise, she could end up on the underused wrestlers list.