8 WWE NXT UK Stars Who Could Eventually Thrive On WWE's Main Roster
5. Rhea Ripley
Although Rhea Ripley was an unknown going into the 2017 Mae Young Classic, it didn't take long for fans to get familiar with her, as her charisma and connection with the crowd helped her stand out from the get-go. She ended up advancing to the second round before losing to Dakota Kai.
Ripley ditched the girl-next-door look in favor of a much darker persona for the following year's installment. She fared much better that time around and made it all the way to the semifinals, where she came up short against Io Shirai.
The aggressive Aussie continued to ride that wave of momentum into the launch of NXT UK in the fall of 2018 by becoming the inaugural NXT UK Women's champion. She eventually dropped the strap to Toni Storm in a barn burner of a bout at TakeOver: Blackpool but had a strong showing in the women's Royal Rumble match the very next weekend.
Ripley's stint in NXT UK is up in the air right now due to injury, though it did appear she was on a collision course with Piper Niven before she got hurt. Once that runs its course, Ripley must be earmarked for a main roster call-up. Raw could use the star power at the moment and she'd be a breath of fresh of air in the division.