Three More Names From NXT Debut On ‘SmackDown Live,’ Following Two On ‘Raw’
Over the past couple days, both Raw and SmackDown Live have received a face lift in the women’s division. During the four corners No. 1 contender match between Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Alicia Fox, and Bayley, Paige made her return after nearly a year and a half away from the ring. However, as she stated on Raw, she did not come alone, bringing NXT talent Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose with her. The three attacked every other person in the ring, making the match a no contest. The trio would later confront Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, attacking her backstage as well.
On SmackDown Live, Naomi was sitting down having makeup applied on her backstage when she was confronted by more NXT talent – Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan. Naomi was attacked by the three, as they were trying to make a statement on their debut. Becky Lynch tried to make the save, but to no avail. The NXT trio laid out Lynch as well. They would also attack Natalya and Charlotte during their title match. Between the two nights, a total of five women were called up to the main roster, causing a big hole in the NXT women’s division. These call-ups come as a major surprise to many members of the WWE Universe.
Ruby Riot, Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan debut on WWE SmackDown https://t.co/i7K1FZ7Iyi pic.twitter.com/LGtxyC964J
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) November 22, 2017
According to the Wrestling Observer, it was no surprise that Mandy Rose was going to be called up to the main roster soon. In fact, it was reported that Rose was purposely not put on NXT television, and taken off of events to make the debut more impactful. However, it was a surprise that Deville was called up, as she is still a fresh character on NXT and her MMA character could interfere with the rumored Four Horsewomen feud.
In addition, it may come to an even bigger surprise that the new trio on SmackDown Live made their main roster debut. Logan, who is known to many hardcore fans from her days in the independent circuit as Crazy Mary Dobson, was also a part of the Mae Young Classic. However, she would lose in the first round to Mia Yim. She would also appear in the No. 1 contender battle royal to appear on NXT TakeOver: War Games, but would get eliminated by Mercedes Martinez and Bianca Belair.
Ruby Riot was climbing up the ladder as a babyface on the NXT women’s roster, even being a part of a triple threat match for the NXT Women’s Champion at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. However, she would remain as a midcard talent for most of the year. Liv Morgan was also developing to be a strong babyface, but was not a major name in the division. As expressed by the Wrestling Observer, the choices for a call-up such as Sonya Deville – and now Riot, Morgan, and Logan – do raise a question of how top NXT talent such as Ember Moon, Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay feel about getting jumped over by these five ex-roster members.
[Featured Image by WWE]
