WWE’s NXT Call-Up Pairings Spark Speculation On More Alliances

WWE’s recent wave of NXT call-ups has followed a clear pattern: rather than debuting cold on the main roster, several newcomers have been paired almost immediately with established Raw and SmackDown talent. Tatum Paxley has slotted in alongside Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, while Lucien Price and Bronco Nima joined Royce Keys to form the 946 faction on the OTM side of the roster. With more call-ups believed to be on the way, speculation is building over which NXT names could be next to link up with recognizable main-roster faces.

One pairing already in motion is Shinsuke Nakamura’s new SmackDown tag team with Kyoki, the performer previously known in NJPW as Hiromu Takahashi. The duo opened strong with a win over Kit Wilson and The Miz on August 28, but came up short against The MFTs on September 18 after Haku interfered to force a disqualification. Since Kyoki bypassed NXT entirely on his way to the main roster, there’s a natural story left untold: reuniting him with his old Los Ingobernables de Japon stablemate Naraku, the wrestler formerly known as EVIL, to help even the odds against The MFTs and further Nakamura’s pursuit of the faction.

A more under-the-radar possibility involves Raw’s Je’Von Evans and NXT North American Champion Jackson Drake, who share history well before either signed with WWE. The two were lifelong friends and independent tag partners as “The Wrestling Prodigies” from 2019 to 2023, working extensively together in Fire Star Pro-Wrestling and even appearing together on AEW Dark in February 2023 alongside Oliver Sawyer against Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and Satnam Singh. Their real-world chemistry has been noted by others in the industry, and if WWE wanted to fast-track a believable tag pairing, Drake and Evans already have the built-in rapport to make it work on television.

Then there’s Zilla Fatu, the newest member of the extended Anoa’i/Fatu wrestling family, who debuted in NXT on August 11. With Royce Keys, Bronco Nima and Lucien Price continuing to target The Usos, and reported tension between Jacob Fatu and Roman Reigns simmering on the main roster, The Bloodline may eventually need reinforcements. A short developmental stint followed by a call-up into the fold — mirroring Solo Sikoa’s own path years earlier — would be a logical way to bring Zilla into the group under Reigns’ wing.

None of this is confirmed, and WWE has given no indication of a timeline for any of these pairings materializing. But the company’s recent booking philosophy — using NXT graduates to reinforce existing stories and personal relationships rather than starting them from scratch — makes all three scenarios plausible. Given how quickly Paxley and the 946 faction were integrated, it wouldn’t be surprising if one or more of these connections surfaces sooner rather than later. Whether it’s an unspoken LIJ reunion, a real-life friendship finally paying off on Raw, or another Fatu joining the Bloodline banner, WWE has plenty of raw material sitting in NXT ready to be put to use.