{"id":124057,"date":"2024-04-17T09:22:13","date_gmt":"2024-04-17T13:22:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=124057"},"modified":"2024-04-17T09:22:13","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T13:22:13","slug":"best-nxt-call-ups-wwe-draft-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/17\/best-nxt-call-ups-wwe-draft-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the Best NXT Call-ups in WWE Draft History"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With the 2024\u00a0<strong>WWE\u00a0<\/strong>Draft coming up at the end of the month, and it has been made official that\u00a0<em><strong>NXT<\/strong><\/em> will be part of the proceedings, it&#8217;s about that time to take a look at some of the best call-ups from the promotion&#8217;s developmental system.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h8ErO7dCWeM?si=hCzDdvMKOl1fpew8\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Finn B\u00e1lor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/khozSRsLFDw?si=7lntyfEic_ivh4Ws\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2016, WWE announced the return of the WWE Draft. The split between <em><strong>Monday Night Raw<\/strong><\/em> and <em><strong>SmackDown<\/strong><\/em> was symbolised by the literal \u201cbrand split\u201d during the Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, the two main shows weren\u2019t the only brands that were involved in the new-and-improved Draft. <em><strong>WWE NXT<\/strong><\/em> was white-hot at the time, and the stars involved were telling some of the most impressive stories within the WWE Universe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Finn B\u00e1lor<\/strong> was selected as <em>Raw<\/em>\u2019s third pick &#8211; fifth overall &#8211; in a move that set the main roster ablaze. The former NXT Champion was called up and immediately hit the ground running, pinning <strong>Roman Reigns<\/strong> clean on his <em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> debut.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following that hot start, B\u00e1lor found himself winning the inaugural WWE Universal Championship at <em><strong>WWE SummerSlam 2016<\/strong><\/em>, as he defeated <strong>Seth Rollins<\/strong> in another huge shock. Unfortunately, B\u00e1lor\u2019s reign was cut painfully short, having to vacate the title after just one day as he suffered an injury during the bout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, \u2018The Prince\u2019 has captured his fair share of gold. With two Intercontinental Championships, one United States Championship, multiple Undisputed Tag Team Championships and even another NXT Championship reign, he\u2019s remained a staple of WWE\u2019s main roster.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the eight years since his call-up in the WWE Draft, it\u2019s safe to say that Finn B\u00e1lor has more than proved his worth on the main roster and whether as a singles star or in a group, he has a legacy as one of the most successful <em>NXT<\/em> stars to be selected in the WWE Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Admittedly, <strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong> had previous experience on the WWE\u2019s main roster before his <em>NXT<\/em> debut in early 2017, but his second stint in WWE has been unquestionably better than his first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After spending merely a year in the black and gold brand, McIntyre was selected in the 2018 WWE Draft (referred to as the Superstar Shake-Up) and joined the <em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> roster.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His first success came that very same year, as he claimed the WWE Raw Tag Team Championships with <strong>Dolph Ziggler<\/strong>. However, it was two years later that his biggest success came, as he won the <em><strong>2020 WWE Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> and secured his first WrestleMania main event.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McIntyre went on to win the WWE Championship that year but, sadly was unable to pick up the victory in front of a live crowd due to the Covid-19 pandemic. His second WWE Championship win was similarly underwhelming, as it was in an empty arena once again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most recently, the former NXT Champion claimed the World Heavyweight Championship at <em><strong>WWE WrestleMania 40<\/strong><\/em>. Although his reign lasted five short minutes, his record as a multiple-time World Champion and Royal Rumble winner cements him as one of the best<em> NXT<\/em> call-ups in the WWE Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Alexa Bliss<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wdzWrfHiKnE?si=48BrcqKLJhkrciK1\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another member of the <em>NXT<\/em> call-ups from the WWE Draft in 2016, <strong>Alexa Bliss<\/strong> arrived on <em>SmackDown<\/em> and put the women\u2019s division on alert from her first day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within the year, she claimed her first WWE SmackDown Women\u2019s Championship, which demonstrated her ability to compete with the very best in WWE. Also, her excellent matches on the blue brand helped her stand out in that early stage of her career.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bliss has become very familiar with championships since her first appearance on <em>SmackDown<\/em>, picking up the Women\u2019s Championship a total of five times and even claiming the Women\u2019s Tag Team Championships on three separate occasions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She also captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing it in on the same night in 2018 to claim her third WWE Raw Women\u2019s Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her list of achievements is impressive and she will always be regarded as one of the most successful <em>NXT<\/em> superstars to be called up in the WWE Draft.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Carmella<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cgasZW_iVGo?si=Pxwf687Xpg6TX5nL\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u2018Staten Island Princess\u2019 arrived on the main roster as another member of the <em>NXT<\/em> roster that got called up during the WWE Draft in 2016.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Carmella<\/strong> showed up on <em>SmackDown<\/em>, as the final pick on the WWE Draft Center Live. Although a shockingly late pick, WWE fans soon learned that \u2018Mella is Money as she became the winner of the inaugural Women\u2019s Money in the Bank briefcase.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a record-setting move, she took her time to cash in, waiting 287 days before seizing her opportunity and picking up her sole Women\u2019s Championship. Her reign as the SmackDown Women\u2019s Champion solidified her as a top competitor on the blue brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sadly, she\u2019s been unable to capture any more titles since this reign, but with a return to WWE events over <em>WWE WrestleMania 40<\/em> weekend, it\u2019s possible that Carmella could find her way back to the ring later in 2024.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If she comes back, she should set her sights on getting more gold around her waist.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Austin Theory<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Awbs53c9bf4?si=eq6W3P-S7ez56g0i\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The most recent call-up on this list, <strong>Austin Theory<\/strong> made his way to the main roster during the 2021 edition of the WWE Draft. He was separated from the rest of The Way (<strong>Johnny Gargano<\/strong>, <strong>Candice LeRae<\/strong> &amp; <strong>Indi Hartwell<\/strong>) upon his arrival, but found a new role immediately.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the watchful eye of the former executive chairman of WWE, Theory was fast-tracked and entered into positions that he may not have otherwise found himself in.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within six months of his <em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> debut, Theory captured the WWE United States Championship, becoming the second-youngest champion in the belt\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His reign with the belt didn\u2019t last very long, as he lost it a few months later but in defeat, Theory found a bigger victory. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase at the event of the same name in 2022, making him the youngest-ever winner of the Money in the Bank.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One failed cash-in later, Theory found himself competing for the United States title once again, as he won it for the second time in his career. This run saw him defend the strap against <strong>John Cena<\/strong> at <em><strong>WWE WrestleMania 39<\/strong><\/em>, before losing the belt to <strong>Rey Mysterio<\/strong> later in the year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, Theory has joined forces with <strong>Grayson Waller<\/strong> as A-Town Down Under, which has seen them capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Another notch in the belt for Austin Theory highlights the fact that his time on the main roster has been a success thus far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perhaps we will see the next batch of <em>NXT<\/em> stars selected in the upcoming WWE Draft, with the likes of <strong>Carmelo Hayes<\/strong> and <strong>Ilja Dragunov<\/strong> already having proven that they can perform on <em>Raw<\/em> and <em>SmackDown<\/em> over the past few months.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep an eye on <em>SmackDown<\/em> and <em>Monday Night Raw<\/em> on April 26th and 29th respectively, to see if there are any <em>NXT<\/em> surprises in the WWE Draft 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013\u00a0<span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the 2024\u00a0WWE\u00a0Draft coming up at the end of the month, and it has been made official that\u00a0NXT will be part of the proceedings, it&#8217;s about that time to take a look at some of the best call-ups from the promotion&#8217;s developmental system. Finn B\u00e1lor In 2016, WWE announced the return of the WWE Draft. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5065,"featured_media":124060,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,25,26,4,5,3],"tags":[168,351,686,111,2514,1135,4994,8857],"class_list":["post-124057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-raw","category-smackdown","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-alexa-bliss","tag-carmella","tag-drew-mcintyre","tag-finn-balor","tag-ilja-dragunov","tag-austin-theory","tag-wwe-draft","tag-wwe-draft-2024"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5065"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}