WWE main roster stars who could benefit most from a move back to NXT

WWE

As much as WWE NXT is seen as a stepping stone for eventual main roster success, there have been many instances over the years where talent fail to realize the potential they seemed to have once they make it to Raw or SmackDown.

Why this happens if often not entirely on the talent’s shoulders; with creative instead responsible for the fumble; but when this happens, sometimes the best course of action is a move back to NXT.

Grayson Waller has been a massive success story for a superstar doing just that, and The Creed Brothers look to follow suit following their own recent move to NXT.

With these examples to look towards, here are three more WWE main roster stars who could benefit most from a move back to NXT.

Ivy Nile

Naturally, with The Creed Brothers moving away from the American Made name and restarting on NXT, fans have been wondering whether Ivy Nile will be following suit.

Nile has been aligned with Julius and Brutus through NXT and the main roster, so it certainly wouldn’t come as a surprise. However, it appears as if WWE may have another alliance in mind for Nile.

A recent report from False Finish revealed that pitches had been made for Nile to form a tag team with Jordynne Grace – who, like Nile, has been seen more on WWE Main Event than her own brand in 2026.

This alliance, if it comes to fruition, seems like more of a main roster idea than NXT, but if WWE wanted to really start again with both stars, they could move them back to where they started.

Kiana James

Another name on the women’s WWE roster that hasn’t been seen on TV in a while is Kiana James.

Since the split of her tag team with Giulia, James has been wrestling on WWE Main Event, and it doesn’t appear that she’s factoring into any plans on her brand of SmackDown at the moment.

James is someone who arguably didn’t have long enough in NXT, as she never reached the level of becoming a top champion on the brand.

With her prospects of main roster success taking a dip lately, a move back to Tuesday nights may be the best course of action.

Fraxiom (Nathan Frazer & Axiom)

When it comes to the best tag teams in NXT history, Nathan Frazer and Axiom have to rank up there, particularly in the modern era.

Holding the NXT Tag Team Titles for almost an entire year across two different reigns, the pair arrived on SmackDown in the Spring of 2025 and joined what was a stacked tag team division at the time.

Unfortunately, their time on SmackDown has not hit the heights of their NXT run, despite consistently showing their quality every time they do get the chance to wrestle on the blue brand.

With tag team wrestling as a whole in a bad state across Raw and SmackDown, Fraxiom would likely be better off back in NXT on a full-time basis.

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