Backstage Notes on NXT Superstars Used for WWE Royal Rumble

– Fightful Select has an update on the WWE NXT Superstars who were used for the Royal Rumble last Saturday. The women’s Rumble match featured appearances from NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez, Indi Hartwell, and Zoey Stark. It was previously reported that Ivy Nile was among the names who were brought in as well. Shawn Michaels informed Fightful that the WWE main roster officials let the NXT brand know who they wanted for the match, while Michaels provided feedback.

According to the report, the main roster officials only requested NXT talent for the women’s Rumble match and informed NXT that they were set for the men’s Rumble match. Fightful adds that Ivy Nile was there to serve as an alternate in case she was needed.

Previously, WWE officials said that NXT talent would not be used last year and that they didn’t want to mix NXT 2.0 and WWE talent at the time. The last time an NXT Superstar was used for the men’s Rumble was Damian Priest in 2021, which became his main roster call-up. Matt Riddle also appeared in the 2020 Rumble, but only lasted a short period of time.

Fightful also reports that NXT did not have any input on how long the NXT talents would last in the Rumble matches. Additionally, Fightful reports that none of the NXT appearances in the Rumble for this year are serving as a main roster call-up.