Ranking Every Recent NXT Call-Up's Chances of Success on WWE Main Roster

The influx of new blood in WWE since the Royal Rumble has created an even more exciting landscape for Raw and SmackDown ahead of WrestleMania 40.

The Road to WrestleMania is always the company's most pivotal period of the year. Superstars are spotlighted more than ever before and afforded opportunities to take their careers to the next level.

In years past, the post-Mania season was when NXT talent were called up and familiar faces returned, typically as part of the annual draft. This year, WWE has taken a different approach by bringing in several new names during the buildup to The Show of Shows and incorporating them into plans for April 6-7.

This trend started as early as October when Diamond Mine debuted on Raw, followed by Tyler Bate and Elektra Lopez soon after on SmackDown. The former Los Lotharios are also back on the blue brand, and Bron Breakker and Tiffany Stratton have since signed on for Friday nights as well.

Let's look at who among this batch promising newcomers has the best chance of success on the main roster. Naomi, Jade Cargill, Andrade and Authors of Pain will not be included as none of them are coming directly from NXT.

Many fans questioned the move to call up Legado del Fantasma to SmackDown in October 2022 without Elektra Lopez. She was replaced by Zelina Vega, who was far more competent in the ring at that point and proved to be a better fit as the group's female manager.

However, Lopez reunited with Santos Escobar, Angel and Berto on the Jan. 26 edition of SmackDown, aiding Escobar to victory over Carlito and attacking Vega at ringside.

The timing couldn't have been better with Escobar recently cutting ties with LWO and needing one more member to round out the new-look Legado.

So far on SmackDown, she has yet to wrestle a single match. That's likely by design as her strong suit is as a valet and not as an in-ring competitor.

The quality of her matches improved the longer she was in NXT, but with the SmackDown women's division being deeper now than it has in years, Lopez won't add anything that isn't already there.

A one-on-one match with Vega is inevitable, along with a potential mixed tag team matchup between LWO and Legado, but that should be the extent of her wrestling.

Her value will primarily be in the presentation of Legado, cutting promos and interfering in matches when needed à la Scarlett or B-Fab.

Angel and Berto technically constitute as NXT call-ups despite previously spending time on Raw and SmackDown from 2019 through early 2023.

Their NXT return stint ended up being the best thing for the former Los Lotharios as it allowed them to reestablish themselves as a force to be reckoned within the tag team ranks.

Following his departure from LWO, Santos Escobar needed reinforcements, and Angel and Berto—whose name was shortened from Humberto Carrillo—answered the call. They quickly counteracted Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro and beat them in their first bout back on the blue brand.

They had the chance to advance to Elimination Chamber to challenge for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship but fell short in a Fatal 4-Way qualifier. They've been a united front alongside Escobar but haven't been booked in a meaningful manner beyond their feud with LWO.

Both Berto and Angel are tremendously talented and could eventually earn themselves a title run, but the division is strong enough to where that likely isn't in the cards anytime soon.

All eyes were on The Creed Brothers during their debut on the Oct. 30 edition of Raw, but fans underestimated Ivy Nile, the third member of Diamond Mine who was called up alongside them.

Nile has been an important part of the Diamond Mine act dating back to the formation of the faction in late 2021. She wasn't involved in high-profile matches often but was always impressive whenever she had the chance to showcase her skills.

So far on the Raw roster, she hasn't been exclusively the Creeds' manager and has been wrestling a decent amount. In her first televised outing, she had a strong showing in a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal in November before being eliminated by Nia Jax.

Her best bout came against Rhea Ripley on the Day 1 edition of Raw where the Women's World Championship was up for grabs. The outcome was never in doubt, but Nile pushed The Eradicator to her limit and proved she could hang.

Thanks to her sheer strength and innovative offense, Nile stands out from the rest of the division and will be one to watch going forward.

Between his extended stay in NXT UK and NXT, Tyler Bate was with the developmental brand for seven years. There was no rush to bring him to the grand stage with him being only 19 at the time he signed with WWE, but he's arguably been main roster-ready for a while now.

Of course, perhaps the delayed call-up was for the best to ensure he wasn't creatively mangled by Vince McMahon when he was still at the helm.

Bate debuted on the New Year's Revolution edition of SmackDown as Pete Dunne's mystery partner against Pretty Deadly. Unsurprisingly, they worked wonderfully together given their history in British Strong Style and have embarked on a winning streak since joining forces.

Already they find themselves in contention for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship at Elimination Chamber, a prime spot for them so early in their tag team run.

Long-term, Dunne is destined for bigger things on his own, but Bate should still find success flying solo at the midcard level. Despite his smaller stature, he's one of WWE's most gifted pound-for-pound performers and has merely scratched the surface of what he can do.

The Creed Brothers were among the few NXT 2.0 prospects who appeared to have serious potential upon the relaunch of the brand in late 2021. It wasn't long before they climbed to the top of the division and became NXT tag team champions by June 2022.

Once they lost the gold a few months later, there wasn't much left for them to do other than moving to the main roster. They wasted no time making an impact by beating Alpha Academy in their Raw debut on Oct. 30 and following that up with a win over DIY the next week.

They won over the audience with their explosive intensity and unmatched athleticism. They rode that wave of momentum into a tag team title opportunity against The Judgment Day on Dec. 18 and narrowly fell short.

The Creeds haven't had much of a presence on Monday nights as of late, but it's more of a matter of when and not if they'll be champs again, this time on Raw or SmackDown. Both blue-chippers can also accomplish quite a bit as singles stars once they've run their course as a tandem.

It's finally "Tiffy Time" on SmackDown, and the whole world is about to witness the greatness Tiffany Stratton is capable of.

Character-wise, she got off to a rough start in NXT with the "daddy's little rich girl" gimmick, but she displayed incredible promise in the ring. That only escalated when she returned from her hiatus at the onset of 2023 and captured the NXT Women's Championship soon after.

The 24-year-old benefited big time from her back-to-back bouts with Becky Lynch last fall, and it was at that point that it was apparent she was main roster-bound.

Coming off an impressive outing in the women's Rumble match, she signed with SmackDown and qualified for the women's Elimination Chamber contest this past week. That should be where she shines to pave the way for a WrestleMania 40 matchup with Bianca Belair.

Stratton's ability to learn at a rapid rate combined with her improved promos will make her a top talent in the women's division in record time. As such, it isn't a stretch to say she could be headlining 'Mania within the next few years, potentially against Lynch or Charlotte Flair.

The first match in the history of NXT 2.0 was won by the debuting Bron Breakker, effectively establishing that the brand would be built around him from that point onward.

As the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rick Steiner, he had lofty expectations set for him from the get-go and he did not disappoint. His two reigns as NXT champion saw him conquer the entire roster and therefore a main roster call-up was long overdue.

His stellar showing in the men's Rumble match last month was just a small taste of the destruction he'll bring to SmackDown.

It was as a heel that he found his footing from a character standpoint, but there's nothing wrong with introducing him as a babyface. Either way, he should be booked as an unstoppable force and be put in a program with a main event player heading into 'Mania.

If Breakker can stay the course and remain injury-free, there's no reason to think he won't have a decorated career in WWE and serve as a cornerstone of the company for years to come.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.