{"id":142191,"date":"2025-09-18T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=142191"},"modified":"2025-09-18T01:10:37","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T05:10:37","slug":"who-we-missed-at-wwe-nxt-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/09\/18\/who-we-missed-at-wwe-nxt-homecoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Who We Missed at WWE NXT Homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

NXT Homecoming was a show to remember as we saw wrestlers return to their roots in NXT. The night featured former champions and surprise appearances from these stars who are now successful on the main roster. There were appearances from #DIY, Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, Finn Balor, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

While we did see many of the stars who helped shape NXT into what it is today, many weren\u2019t able to attend the show, despite having had a pivotal role in the promotion. Let\u2019s look at some of the wrestlers who were missed from NXT Homecoming.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin Owens<\/h2>\n

The Prizefighter we all know and love started in NXT and had quite an impact on the black and gold brand. Kevin Owens had unforgettable matches with Sami Zayn and Finn Balor in NXT. They will truly go down in NXT history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"WWE
Photo Credit: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (WikiMedia Creative Commons)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The grand slam champion is unfortunately out of in-ring action due to needing a <\/span>neck fusion<\/span><\/a>. We hope nothing but the best for Kevin Owens and his recovery. Even though he couldn\u2019t compete, it would\u2019ve been nice to see some sort of homage to The Prizefighter, whether it be a quick appearance or a video package.<\/span><\/p>\n

If he couldn\u2019t attend in person, the fans would\u2019ve appreciated some sort of acknowledgement of what he had accomplished for NXT.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seth Rollins<\/h2>\n

A true homecoming would\u2019ve been the return of the first-ever NXT Champion back to where his WWE career began. Rollins may be a little preoccupied with his feud on the main roster against CM Punk and AJ Lee, but a one-night match in NXT could\u2019ve done wonders for the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only would the appearance of Rollins draw that much more attention ot the show, but he could allow an up-and-coming star to show their potential. It is impressive seeing someone new in the company being able to hold their own against a veteran. That was an opportunity that the company missed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paige<\/h2>\n

Now, not only was the first-ever NXT Champion missed on the show, but the first-ever NXT Women\u2019s Champion was missed on the show. Not only on the show, but she has been missed in the company dearly. Especially now, with the return of AJ Lee, everyone is awaiting the return of Paige.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In an interview for <\/span>Busted Open Radio<\/span><\/a>, Saraya (Paige) said that she is open to returning one day to the WWE. She thinks WWE is doing great things right now and would love to see AJ Lee back in the ring. Saraya wants Lee to have her moment, though, and will look towards the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

It would\u2019ve been cool to see Paige return to NXT first and not only surprise everyone, but get involved with the up-and-coming talent. Her return is one that everyone will eagerly await.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/x.com\/Saraya\/status\/1968207746765033565<\/a><\/p>\n

Bayley<\/h2>\n

Bayley was another woman who was pivotal to NXT and women\u2019s wrestling. She put on incredible matches and won the NXT Women\u2019s Championship in a match that will go down in history at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn against Sasha Banks. The two women were also the first two to headline a major WWE event, being an NXT TakeOver, and the first Women\u2019s 30-minute Iron Woman match.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She was a hugger at the time, and she was (and is) a great role model for children. Everyone loved Bayley and her inflatable tube men who accompanied her to the ring. Even though she no longer has that gimmick, it doesn\u2019t change the fact that NXT wouldn\u2019t be the same without her.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nia Jax<\/h2>\n

Back in 2015, Nia Jax made her <\/span>long-awaited debut<\/span><\/a> in the black and gold brand. Her debut was built up through numerous vignettes to create anticipation among the audience. It worked, as she truly is not like most girls. Her power made it hard for her to be overlooked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nia Jax never held the NXT Women\u2019s Championship, which could be since she was in NXT for under a year. Jax would make her main roster debut in July 2016. A return to NXT would bring new opportunities for the newer generation of wrestlers and a chance for Jax, as she could go for the NXT Women\u2019s Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nia Jax is truly an irresistible force, and despite not being at NXT Homecoming, her time in the promotion is not forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a> \u2013<\/span><\/em>\u00a0Stay tuned to the\u00a0Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a> for more on WWE NXT 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.<\/em><\/p>\n

You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0Netflix<\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0USA Network<\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0The CW<\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0Tubi<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0A&E<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and\u00a0Peacock<\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0YouTube<\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (WWE Speed<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NXT Homecoming was a show to remember as we saw wrestlers return to their roots in NXT. The night featured former champions and surprise appearances from these stars who are now successful on the main roster. There were appearances from #DIY, Rhea Ripley, Stephanie Vaquer, Finn Balor, and more. While we did see many of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5214,"featured_media":142193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_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":[4,5,3],"tags":[160,73,602,9538,194,76],"class_list":["post-142191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wwe","category-nxt","category-wwe-universe","tag-bayley","tag-kevin-owens","tag-nia-jax","tag-nxt-homecoming","tag-paige","tag-seth-rollins"],"modified_by":"Laci Schlatz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142191","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\/5214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142194,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142191\/revisions\/142194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}