Surprising Names Compete Before This Week’s WWE SmackDown

He might be around more often. The amount of roster changes that NXT has undergone in the last year and a half has been staggering. There are very few people from the previous generation of NXT still around and the few that are are not exactly receiving a lot of attention. Some of them might be in line for a call up though, and now two new names may be joining that list.

According to PWInsider.com, both Roderick Strong and LA Knight were backstage at this week’s SmackDown. As seen on Twitter, the two faced off in a dark match before the show went on the air. This comes just after NXT’s Tommaso Ciampa and Pete Dunne have been working dark matches, as well as matches for WWE Main Event. There is no word on if any of the four will be called up to the main roster.

Opening match in Nashville LA Knight vs Roderick Strong @battlegroundihr pic.twitter.com/dwnZZanqQ3

— BATTLE (@battleonair) January 22, 2022

Knight has been in NXT since 2021 and is a former Million Dollar Champion. Before his current WWE run began, he also wrestled in Impact Wrestling, where he held the World Title. Strong has been part of NXT since 2018 and has held the Cruiserweight, North American and Tag Team Titles. During his time in Ring of Honor, Strong won the company’s Triple Crown.

Opinion: I’m almost scared to imagine how this is going to go. Assuming either or both of them are called up, it could be quite the negative experience on the main roster. They are both in their late thirties but at least Knight has a bit more of the look that WWE likes. Strong is a very talented wrestler but his size is going to be an issue. Then again, it would be nice to see them both get out of NXT, just for the sake of giving them a chance.

What do you think of the two of them? Which would have a better chance on the main roster? Let us know in the comments below.

Thomas Hall has been a wrestling fan for over thirty years and has seen over 60,000 wrestling matches. He has also been a wrestling reviewer since 2009 with over 6,000 full shows covered. You can find his work at kbwrestlingreviews.com, or check out his- Amazon author page with 30 wrestling books

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