Backstage Notes On WWE’s Approach To Bringing Talent In On NXT Or Main Roster

A new report has some details on WWE’s mindset when bringing talent in in terms of whether they start on NXT or the main roster. It was noted in a report from last week about Ricky Saints’ Absolute Experience segment being removed from WWE’s social media channels that people in WWE hadn’t expected that Saints would be in NXT a year after his debut. Fightful Select has posted a new report in which they discuss how WWE approaches each new signee on a “case-by-case” basis when determining where they start.

The report recalls how when Saints was first sent to NXT, sources said that he was put there because the WrestleMania 41 plans were set and that they didn’t expect him to be there long. Obviously, those expectations haven’t held out. The report notes that, as you might expect, The CW and WWE see having established TV talent like Saints, Ethan Page, Joe Hendry and Blake Monroe as stars who can attract new viewers to NXT that might not have have checked it out otherwise. It is also noted that the TV experience those sorts of stars have is valuable to the process in NXT.

In terms of deciding where to start new signees, some talent have been adamant that they start on the main roster. It was reported yesterday that WWE was insistent on Royce Keys starting on the main roster and not NXT. Keys made his debut at the WWE Royal Rumble and while he has not shown up on WWE TV since, he has been traveling with the main roster crew each week and working dark matches. He’s signed to a multi-year deal, and there’s no word on when he will make his weekly TV debut.