WWE NXT Stars Poised for Promotion to Main Roster in 2016

WWE NXT will have to find a new backbone in 2016. 

Sami Zayn and Finn Balor are on the cusp of making the move from the developmental brand to the main roster this coming year. As in-ring veterans, phenomenal showman and rising stars, they have long made their case that they belong at WWE proper.

With those two gone, NXT will have some identity-searching to do.

Zayn and Balor, along with a thriving women's division, have been the heart of the WWE offshoot. But their time at Full Sail University promises to be over at some point during 2016.

Being top prospects have them ready for that move, but predicting NXT-to-WWE movement is about more than talent. WWE often scoops up the most complete talents (e.g. Sasha Banks, Kevin Owens), but it also waits to do so when there is a suitable replacement waiting in the wings.

Owens moved up after Balor rose to NXT's top tier. Banks earned her promotion, while Bayley had ample momentum.

Emerging stars are now ready to take Balor and Zayn's spots. While those two babyfaces have the kind of talent that will allow WWE to easily plug them in on Raw and SmackDown.

Finn Balor

The NXT champ needs no seasoning at this point.

His matches are consistently top-notch. His presence is unmistakable. And he's grown as a talker, showing himself to be reliable enough in that department.

The WWE brass will love how marketable he is, too. His demon body paint is a graphic artist's dream. Expect shirts and masks bearing that look to be hot commodities.

And history points to him being close to a call-up. Every NXT champ other than Zayn has made his way to the main roster after holding that title. It's so far been the precursor to promotion.

NXT can switch out Balor for Hideo Itami once the Irishman moves on.

Itami's shoulder injury has hurt his momentum. While Balor's been busy headlining, Itami's been rehabbing. The Japanese star will need more time to adapt to the WWE style and work on his English. Making him the top babyface in Balor's stead is a smart way to do that while maintaining NXT's indie cred.

As for Balor, he would be an instant success as a workhorse. John Brown of Today's Knockout wrote that he "would add tremendous credibility to the rising Intercontinental Title scene."

Bayley

When Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte all emerged on Raw at the same time, it made sense to leave Bayley behind. Someone needed to be the foundation of the women's division. Bayley has since been the clear best prospect and skill-wise has long been ready to make the move upward. 

And although Fighting Spirit Magazine and others have concerns about how WWE will book her, it's inevitable that she will be on the main roster before long:

Her connection with the crowd is steel strong. She's a superb in-ring storyteller. And on a roster brimming with heels, bringing in the ultimate babyface is a no-brainer.

The time to do just that is coming. The NXT women's division now boasts a number of women who could take over as champion and chief flag-bearer.

Asuka is a joy to watch. Alexa Bliss has grown tremendously over the past year, morphing into a top-flight heel. Nia Jax could thrive as champ, too.

That opens the door for Bayley to resume her feud with Banks at some point, allowing a wider audience to see the rivalry that produced two instant classics this year.

Baron Corbin

Size trumps skill in the WWE world at times. It allowed Braun Strowman to bypass the line and make it to the main roster despite his greenness in the ring.

Corbin is miles better than Strowman. He's worked hard to go from one-gear monster to a more well-rounded performer.

Add his growth over the past two years to his prototypical look and you have the formula for a call-up.

Plus, WWE is in need of heels. The roster is babyface-heavy at the moment with Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Cesaro and Randy Orton. That will be especially true if Zayn and Balor make their way to the main roster in 2016.

Meanwhile, Samoa Joe can remain an NXT cornerstone in Corbin's absence. WWE has seemingly decided to keep the powerhouse around as a draw for NXT and a way to put over younger guys like Corbin. 

Once The Lone Wolf adds a few more notable wins to his resume to increase his momentum, go ahead and start the countdown for when he arrives on Raw.

Sami Zayn

Zayn's been ready for promotion since he was pulling fans in during his quest to become NXT champ. His shoulder injury put a stop to any plans to move him to the main roster, though.

Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas, for one, believed that Zayn would head there shortly after returning from injury:

He hasn't just yet, but that time is coming. Zayn is been a tremendous storyteller with eye-catching athleticism. WWE fans got a taste of that when he took on Cena (bad shoulder and all) for the United States Championship.

The amount of attention WWE has given that moment since feels like a way to prepare the audience for him making the jump to the main roster.

Who will be that compelling babyface on the title hunt in his place? Apollo Crews is the man for the job. Crews has been a joy to watch thus far. He does, though, need to develop his mic skills and work on being able to generate pathos as he takes a beating.

Zayn has already mastered the latter skill and been much improved with the former.

Crews is the ideal prospect to be the next long-term NXT champ. Zayn, meanwhile, has a date with the heels prowling the main roster.