{"id":84179,"date":"2021-02-01T17:45:46","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T22:45:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=84179"},"modified":"2021-02-01T17:45:46","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T22:45:46","slug":"nxt-stars-appear-at-royal-rumble-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2021\/02\/01\/nxt-stars-appear-at-royal-rumble-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"NXT Stars Appear at Royal Rumble 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

At last night’s Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> event, a flurry of NXT<\/strong> stars – some of whom have appeared in previous Royal Rumble<\/em> matches – made appearances in the big two matches of the night.\u00a0 Whereas NXT falls under the WWE<\/strong> umbrella, it is perhaps sometimes easy to forget that it doesn’t do nearly the numbers both RAW<\/strong> and SmackDown<\/strong> do.\u00a0 Therefore, the Royal Rumble<\/em> is a perfect opportunity for these stars to get their name out there and, maybe, impress Vince McMahon<\/strong> – who has revealed in the past that he does not watch NXT.\u00a0 Let us take a look at the NXT stars who made appearances last night.<\/p>\n

The Women’s Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"NXT\"<\/p>\n

Personally, though both matches were fun, the women’s Royal Rumble<\/em> match felt more<\/em> enjoyable last night.\u00a0 It had a greater selection of stars from past and present (Jillian Hall<\/strong> and Rhea Ripley<\/strong> in the same match was a sight to behold) and didn’t lose interest throughout.\u00a0 The first member of NXT to appear in the match was Shotzi Blackheart<\/a><\/strong> (number 5).\u00a0 This was Shotzi’s second Royal Rumble<\/em> match, having appeared in the 2020 edition.\u00a0 At just twenty-eight years old, Shotzi has a bright future ahead of her and is already one of NXT’s brightest talents.\u00a0 Number 7 saw former NXT UK<\/strong> Women’s Champion, Toni Storm<\/strong><\/a>, make her second Rumble appearance.\u00a0 Toni is already a ten-plus year veteran of the business and is still only<\/em> twenty-five years of age.\u00a0 Another woman to make her second Rumble appearance was Santana Garrett<\/strong><\/a>, who entered the match at number 12.\u00a0 Santana had previously wrestled on Main Event but is still poised to make an impact on the main roster.<\/p>\n

\"NXT<\/p>\n

Of course, number 14 saw the big one: “The Nightmare” Rhea Ripley<\/strong><\/a> entered into the match here, lasting until the final two before being eliminated by winner, Bianca Belair<\/strong>.\u00a0 Rhea is someone who can be a big star on the main roster, and already has some name recognition, thanks to her high-profile feud with Charlotte Flair<\/strong> last year.\u00a0 Hopefully she goes onto have the big 2021 she deserves.\u00a0 Dakota Kai<\/strong> <\/a>entered the match at number 23.\u00a0 Dakota is one of NXT’s most talented young women and she has now appeared in two Royal Rumble<\/em> matches, which should have helped to make fans aware of just how good she is.\u00a0 At number 28, we had current NXT star Ember Moon<\/strong>.\u00a0 Ember is in the Finn Balor<\/strong> category of former main roster star who rejoined NXT to give it a boost.\u00a0 It is unlikely we will see Ember return to the main roster but it was nice to see her feature in this match.<\/p>\n

The Men’s Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Damian<\/p>\n

Shockingly, there was only one<\/em> male NXT star to appear in the Royal Rumble<\/em> match last night.\u00a0 However, it was his first Rumble appearance and he did enough with it to showcase his talent.\u00a0 Damian Priest<\/a><\/strong> was the NXT star to make a name for himself, eliminating four competitors (John Morrison<\/strong>, Elias<\/strong>, The Miz<\/strong> and Kane<\/strong>); working with special guest Bad Bunny<\/strong> at one point and lasting 15:34 in the process.\u00a0 In short, this was a solid showing for the thirty-eight year old New York native.<\/p>\n