WWE Rumors: Two ‘Monday Night Raw’ Superstars Might Have Been Sent Back To NXT
According to a recent report, two superstars who were brought up from NXT to Monday Night Raw in last month’s draft might have been quietly sent back to the black-and-gold brand.
As explained by WrestlingNews.co, Dabba-Kato and Arturo Ruas have yet to make an appearance on the red brand’s show after they were seemingly brought in to compete on “Raw Underground.” But with the project apparently getting canceled and no immediate plans to bring it back, neither man has been booked to compete on the main roster.
According to the outlet, Ruas is still officially listed on the Monday Night Raw superstars page on WWE’s website. He was, however, apparently brought back to NXT, where he lost cleanly to KUSHIDA on this week’s episode of the brand’s eponymous show. As further pointed out, the wrestler did not get any ring music or special entrance, as his return was apparently designed to help put KUSHIDA over as one of NXT’s more promising performers.
As for Dabba-Kato, the publication wrote that his status remains unclear. He was originally booked on “Raw Underground” as a dominant force, and there were some rumors suggesting that he might be due for a significant push on the main roster. Before he was officially drafted, he was placed in a feud with former Universal Champion Braun Strowman, with both men appearing on Kevin Owens’ in-ring talk show to promote their match, per Wrestling Inc. Strowman ended up dealing Dabba-Kato his first loss on an edition of the fight club segment that also featured Ruas losing to another established performer in Dolph Ziggler.
As documented by Bleacher Report in August, Dabba-Kato and Ruas were among the wrestlers the publication predicted would benefit the most from the introduction of the worked shoot-style fight club. The former was described as an “intimidating” presence whose size and power could make him a “huge star” in the future, while the latter’s extensive background in freestyle wrestling in his native Brazil was mentioned as something that could make him a natural for the segment’s worked-shoot bouts.
Per The Inquisitr, “Raw Underground” was taken off the air last month following a COVID-19 outbreak that affected several NXT personnel and Performance Center trainees. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer noted at that time that company officials were worried about the potential of another outbreak spreading and affecting the main roster, given how many of the extras standing around the ring — as well as some occasional competitors — during the weekly segment were NXT superstars or PC recruits.
