The WWE Draft saw multiple main roster stars switch brands as well as a few handfuls of NXT talent being called up to Raw or Smackdown. A couple of top WWE talents, however, were left adrift as free agents once the Draft had settled. Some of those names include Omos, Elias, Mustafa Ali, Baron Corbin, and Dolph Ziggler. While Ziggler has returned to action, recently eating an outside-the-ring beating from JD McDonagh on Raw, the same cannot be said for the rest.
That all changed last week when both Corbin and Ali made their presences known on WWE’s Tuesday night programming. Corbin immediately set his sights on the main event picture, laying out Carmelo Hayes and making it clear he wants to take the WWE NXT Championship. Ali, on the other hand, finds himself in the North American Championship mix with the likes of current champ Wes Lee, Tyler Bate, and Joe Gacy.
Dana Brooke, who has not formally listed as a free agent after the Draft but was not drafted, competed in the NXT Women’s Championship number one contender battle royal this past Tuesday.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer commented on the main roster stars popping up on WWE NXT, and the logic behind them doing so.
“The deal is that this is a Nick Khan thing,” he said. “They had Dana Brooke, which is no big deal, but still, you got Corbin, bring more main roster stars to NXT every week, boost the ratings, and try to up your price for renewal from USA Network because the ratings are higher. So, that’s the strategy that they’re going with, and that’s why you’re going to be seeing more main roster stars.”
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