NXT Update: TLC might be the pay-per-view in focus, but the fans are already looking forward to Royal Rumble, which is scheduled to be held on January 26, 2020 at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. It will be the 33rd show under the Royal Rumble banner. Royal Rumble has always been the favourite WWE pay-per-view for most fans as the suspense and excitement that a Royal Rumble match builds is incomparable to any other stipulation.
The show is still more than a month away, but the fans are already looking at the possible options who can win the match to headline WrestleMania 36.
However, according to Bryan Alvarez, this year’s Royal Rumble could be different. In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Live, he said that the plan at the moment is to include 10 Superstars from Raw, 10 from SmackDown and 10 from NXT in both the Royal Rumble matches.
He further added that the plans could change moving forward and TV rating trends of AEW could also affect how WWE chooses to use its yellow brand’s talents on January pay-per-view.
Alvarez went on to give his thoughts on the possibility of an NXT star winning the Rumble:
I mean I can not imagine the Royal Rumble being won by an NXT Star to challenge at a takeover, I mean you could do that if you wanted to but I would expect that a RAW and SmackDown wrestler would win so then you would have the championship match at WrestleMania, but, you could also have the NXT individual challenge for the NXT title at WrestleMania because they are not doing the Takeover events on PPV weekends anymore. So it does n’o look like there is going to be a Takeover at WrestleMania weekend. So you could say, if an NXT star wins the Royal Rumble, they will get a Championship match against the NXT Champion at WrestleMania.
About Alvarez’s statement regarding no TakeOver during the WrestleMania weekend, WWE has announced that NXT is going to hold a TakeOver event on April 4. But, we might still see the NXT championship get defended on the show of the shows.
This February, @WWENXT heads out west for an #NXTRoadTrip in:#NXTPhoenix 2/7#NXTLasVegas 2/8#NXTRiverside 2/9
…and then TAKES OVER @WrestleMania weekend in Tampa. #NXTTakeOver: Tampa is LIVE Saturday, April 4, 2020. Tickets on sale THIS Friday. #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/n91V2TZBGk
— Triple H (@TripleH) December 9, 2019
WrestleVotes too had earlier reported that NXT is going to be part of next year’s WrestleMania in some capacity. The source didn’t clarify the exact role of the yellow brand, but we might see the NXT championship be defended on the show.
Heard from a well placed source, as of now, NXT will have a role at WrestleMania. Not talking about TakeOver, but on the actual Mania card. No details as to who or what, but an NXT presence will be felt at Raymond James Stadium.
— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 12, 2019
Ever since NXT got a live TV spot on USA Network, WWE has been featuring yellow brand prominently in their programming. Recently, the show, which was considered as the developmental brand by many defeated Raw and SmackDown at Survivor Series to gain “brand supremacy”. NXT championship was defended at the pay-per-view as well during which Adam Cole and Pete Dunn stole the entire show. WWE even made new stars in Keith Lee and Rhea Ripley on the same weekend as well.
Looking at the current storylines going on all the WWE brands at the moment, NXT is by far the ‘A-show’.
Nevertheless, here is Ricochet and Cedric Alexander putting on the match of the night…on Main Event. In the same week, Lana and Rusev got divorced in a 25-minutes long opening segment on Raw.
I got to see that match live both of y’all killed it! 💪🏽 pic.twitter.com/KfJTT8GIei
— NeneOlivares (@olivares90s) December 13, 2019
