Why WWE NXT Has Their Best Men’s Roster In Years After Signing Zilla Fatu?

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On the August 11 edition of WWE NXT, Zilla Fatu made his official WWE debut by attacking both Cruz Montana and Grayson Waller during their NXT Championship #1 Contender’s match.

After laying out two of the top stars on the brand, Fatu has immediately made an impact in WWE.

This marked yet another notable debut for the NXT brand in 2026 that has seen several new additions.

At the start of the year, Oba Femi, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, Ethan Page and Ricky Saints all headed to the main roster.

This left NXT in a state of flux with five of the biggest male stars leaving the brand.

Considering the significance of these departures, WWE looked to add up-and-coming talent and key free agents to fill the void.

While there have been exits from the women’s division, the NXT men’s scene needed new names in a major way.

How WWE NXT rebuilt their men’s division?

In February, WWE NXT opened its doors to a number of stars who were signed to WWE ID contracts, honing their craft at the Performance Center or made their name in another promotion.

This led to the debuts of The Vanity Project, Keanu Carver, Sean Legacy and more.

While these names helped, it took a few more significant names to improve the NXT men’s division.

The brand would go on to add some major free agents to the roster in the months that followed.

On the April 28 episode of WWE NXT, former NJPW star EVIL made his debut.

Later becoming Naraku, the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion became a top star on the brand immediately.

Naraku was soon followed by Mason Rook, Kam Hendrix and EK Prosper.

This added some much needed depth, but it did not turn enough heads to the brand.

With all eyes on the main roster heading into WWE SummerSlam, it was NXT who started to stand out on weeks ahead

On the July 21 edition of WWE NXT, Tony D’Angelo defeated Naraku in a Street Fight to retain the NXT Championship.

After the match, former two-time TNA World Champion Cruz Montana officially made his WWE debut.

Then on the July 28 WWE NXT, Grayson Waller shocked the world when he returned to the brand to cut a scathing, passionate promo on the entire men’s roster.

Wanting to see the male stars step up, Waller became a spark that has put even more of a spotlight on the NXT men’s division.

Expressing his frustrations with the main roster, Waller has returned to NXT for unfinished business.

After calling out every single man in the NXT locker room, Waller has thrown his name in the mix with Montana for the next shot at the NXT Championship.

In comes Zilla Fatu

Just when it seemed like this talent acquisition phase for the brand was over, Zilla Fatu showed up.

Laying out both Montana and Waller, Zilla has made it crystal clear right from the start that his sights are on Tony D’s NXT Championship.

Despite the success of the NXT women’s scene, the men’s division is the one in the headlines right now.

With these recent additions to the brand, this has put the men’s scene on the next level.

Not only does the brand have top names, they have a litany of talent up and down the roster after their latest rebuilding period.

The NXT men’s roster has gone from lacking to being the best thing on the show.

After years of being overshadowed by their female counterparts on the brand, WWE NXT has their best men’s roster in years and doesn’t seem like there is an end in sight right now.

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