Predicting WWE Roles for Oba Femi, Royce Keys, Sol Ruca and More Rising Stars
This year's Royal Rumble saw several Superstars make their debut or have their official call-up from NXT, and while none of them won, it gave us a sneak peek at what we can expect.
For the past few years, it's felt like WWE was relying very heavily on established acts instead of working to create new stars.
All you have to do is look at who has held the major titles in WWE to see that not many newcomers broke through into the main event scene during that time.
However, an injection of youth and newcomers to the main roster might be what helps give WWE the shakeup it needs.
Let's take a look at some of the rising stars in WWE today and map out how they might be used in 2026.
Kit Wilson
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This one is a bit tricky because Kit Wilson has been in WWE for around six years dating back to his time in NXT UK, but he is just beginning to have his breakout moment as a singles star.
Unfortunately, WWE has saddled him with what it sees as a comedy gimmick, and we all know how hard it is to advance when your main job is to make people laugh.
Wilson calling out WWE's toxic masculinity problem might have been funny as a one-off bit, but considering the history of WWE, it feels a little too on the nose.
In many ways, this gimmick is how management sees many of its critics, so Wilson is designed to poke fun at the people who have called out WWE's issues in the past.
However, the 31-year-old has managed to gain some popularity with this character, which has led to increased screen time. He might not be in line for a world title run, but WWE clearly sees value in him.
Wilson will settle into his role as a midcard heel nicely and spend the rest of 2026 in various random feuds, likely on the losing end, but at least his entrance music is fun.
Royce Keys
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The former Powerhouse Hobbs made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble and officially debuted his new ring name, Royce Keys.
While he may not have won the match, he eliminated Damian Priest, which could be his first rival if WWE follows up on it.
Keys hasn't established a character in WWE yet, so he could fall into the role of a heel or babyface easily, but he seems better suited to being the bad guy right now.
He hasn't made his intentions known yet, but Keys will likely be thrown right into the midcard title scene by chasing either the Intercontinental or United States Championship.
We still don't know what brand he will be on, but putting him on SmackDown where he and Carmelo Hayes can tear the house down would be a great way to immediately establish him as a dangerous man.
Oba Femi
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One of the most interesting moments in the men's Royal Rumble saw Brock Lesnar come face-to-face with one of WWE's young rising stars, Oba Femi.
At just 27 years old, Femi has already gained a reputation in WWE for being a monster powerhouse who is capable of putting on good matches against a variety of opponents.
If WWE actually follows through on this tease and puts Femi and Lesnar together for a match, having The Ruler defeat The Beast Incarnate would immediately catapult him up the ladder and make him a threat to anyone on the roster.
It wouldn't be surprising to find out this was the plan for WrestleMania. Lesnar needs a new rival because he has gone through all of the top stars in WWE multiple times at this point, and Femi needs an opponent he can prove himself against.
The Ruler is going to be a popular act in WWE, so we're going to predict he is already at least challenging for one of the world titles before the year is over.
Sol Ruca
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While Sol Ruca may still be part of NXT, it's clear WWE sees her as a future star and has been preparing for her arrival on the main roster.
Her Royal Rumble appearance was well-received, and it looks like her partnership with Zaria is close to ending based on their current storyline, so she could be part of Raw or SmackDown within the next month or two.
The high-flyer is a natural babyface and has already made a great impression on the WWE Universe, so her popularity will skyrocket as soon as she is thrown into some big matches.
A run with the women's intercontinental or United States title would be an ideal way to get her feet wet on the main roster. If she isn't holding a belt on Raw or SmackDown by SummerSlam, it means someone in management has dropped the ball.
Je'Von Evans
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One of the newest additions to the main roster is also one of the breakout stars from NXT in 2025.
Je'Von Evans has been nothing short of impressive during his run with WWE. At just 21 years old, it feels like he is just scratching the surface of what he can do, which is wild to think about when you see how good he already is.
With the exception of the few weeks John Cena had the IC title, Dominik Mysterio has held the belt since WrestleMania 41. His reign will likely come to an end soon, and Evans seems like a prime candidate to take the title from him.
Pairing The Young OG with another young star like Dirty Dom would lead to some fun matches and give Evans a huge boost by throwing a title on him early in his main roster run.
If it doesn't happen by WrestleMania, Evans will almost certainly have gold around his waist by the summer.
Jordynne Grace
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Over the past few years, Jordynne Grace went from running the TNA Knockouts division as its champion to being a rising star in WWE.
Her run in NXT didn't yield any title reigns, but it's just a matter of time before the powerhouse is holding gold.
She is currently embroiled in a feud with Jade Cargill that is definitely going to culminate in a match for the WWE Women's Championship.
Even if she doesn't win their first encounter, Grace is going to remain in and around the main event scene until she becomes a champion. It's a matter of when, not if.
The 29-year-old Juggernaut just needs to stay healthy and she will have a belt around her waist before 2026 is over.
Trick Williams and Carmelo Hayes
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Trick Williams found himself in a pretty high-profile position early in his main roster run when he faced Randy Orton, Sami Zayn and Damian Priest for a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship last month.
The former NXT and TNA champion seems to be on an upward trajectory and has a bright future, but with so many other new faces and an already crowded main event scene, he might want to consider going after the tag titles.
Let's say Hayes drops the U.S. title to someone soon. He and Williams reuniting as a tag team as equals would be much different than their previous partnership.
They would make an amazing addition to the tag team division on Raw or SmackDown because they would have so many fresh feuds waiting for them.
Motor City Machine Guns, Street Profits, Fraxiom and The Usos are just a few of the teams they could face for the first time.
While Williams is a great singles star, the tag team division needs some fresh blood. He and Hayes are perfect to fill that role.
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