Why WWE Main Roster Talents Weren't Drafted To NXT Revealed

All three WWE brands in Monday Night Raw, Friday Night SmackDown, and NXT were part of the 2024 WWE Draft over the past week. A number of talents switched between Raw and SmackDown while the likes of Ilja Dragunov, Carmelo Hayes, Lyra Valkyria, Blair Davenport, Kiana James, and Dijak were all called up to the main roster from NXT.

While there is no precedent for main roster talents to be drafted to NXT, it was teased that some talents from Raw or SmackDown could permanently switch to NXT ahead of the Draft. No talents were drafted by NXT, though.

Corey Brennan of Fightful Select noted this was the case due to a fear that some talents would see being drafted from the main roster to NXT as a demotion. The differences between main roster and NXT contracts also influenced WWE's decision-making.

The lack of talents being drafted to NXT hasn't stopped main roster talents from popping up in NXT, however. The Good Brothers and Natalya were in action on Tuesday night amid a sustained run on NXT TV, while the likes of Chelsea Green, the Street Profits, and Michin all showed up at the WWE Performance Center for various angles.