WWE Stars To Leave NXT

WWE

Perhaps more than any other year in recent memory, 2026 has brought about a sea of change for the WWE NXT roster.

Just this year alone NXT has lost top stars such as Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Jacy Jayne and Blake Monroe – with that short list only being a fraction of the talent called up to Raw and SmackDown.

Thankfully for NXT, they have revamped the roster with plenty of new signings from the free agent market and WWE Evolve, but it may not be long before more stars follow soon-to-be Raw star Lola Vice, and depart for pastures anew.

Here are three WWE stars to potentially leave NXT soon.

Tony D’Angelo

The most obvious next NXT call-up on paper has to be former NXT Champion Tony D’Angelo.

D’Angelo took the pin in the four-way for his title at NXT Heatwave, with Grayson Waller sneaking the win from right under Cruz Montana’s nose.

While Tony D could set his sights on a rematch, him taking the loss may be an indication that he’ll instead finally be moving on from NXT after five years on the brand.

With Montana and Zilla Fatu more than capable to chase Waller for the title as babyface challengers, it’s about time WWE allows the former ‘Don of NXT’ to prove what he can do outside of the Performance Center.

Nattie

Another big result at NXT Heatwave was Jaida Parker finally getting the better of Nattie after their Summer-long feud.

The confident rising star made the veteran tap out with her own Sharpshooter submission move, so it’s highly unlikely that there issues will continue further than Sunday’s PLE.

The question now is: where does this leave Nattie on NXT? Jaida should now be elevate into title contention on the brand, but Nattie’s future may lie elsewhere.

Having done her best to elevate Parker, Nattie should perhaps return to Monday Night Raw and get herself involved in the Women’s Intercontinental Championship picture.

Kendal Grey

Perhaps the biggest surprise result from Sunday’s Heatwave PLE saw Kendal Grey lose her NXT Women’s Championship in just her third defense of the title, with ‘The Standout’ Kelani Jordan finally reaching the mountaintop of the brand.

Grey’s ear injury was clearly made out to be the deciding factor in the result, so the loss doesn’t damage Grey too much, despite fans expecting a longer reign.

While Grey will likely return and challenge Jordan once back at 100 percent, it also wouldn’t be a huge shocker to see WWE decide to bring her up to main roster.

In just two years Grey has ascended the WWE ladder and knocked it out of the park at every rung climbed. She’s about as capable between the ropes as anyone on the main roster already, so a call-up would certainly not be unwarranted even if she maybe still has more left to do on Tuesday nights.

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