Report: Backstage News On WWE NXT Talents In Royal Rumble 2023
Several NXT stars worked the 2023 WWE Royal Rumble
The Royal Rumble is a match where it seems anyone can show up. Whether returning stars, legends from years past, or fresh stars from NXT, it's always fun to see who will be next through the curtain.
The 2023 Royal Rumble was no different, and although no NXT stars appeared in the Men's Rumble match, several NXT stars fought in the Women’s Rumble. A report from Fightful Select states that WWE higher-ups communicated with NXT’s Shawn Michaels over who they wanted in the match, with Michaels providing feedback.
Fightful’s report further states that WWE specifically did not request any NXT stars for the Men’s Rumble due to being happy with their available roster, but did specifically request NXT stars for the Women’s Rumble, with Ivy Nile said to have been backstage as an alternative if needed.
2022 saw WWE definitively separate NXT from the main roster, as they didn’t want anyone from the then-fresh NXT 2.0 involved with the Rumble at all. The last NXT stars used in the Men’s Rumble were Damian Priest in 2021 - although this served as his official main roster call-up - and Matt Riddle in 2020.