Major WWE NXT 2.0 Prospect Set For Main Roster Move?

Could this young NXT 2.0 star soon be on the move to Raw or SmackDown?

by Andrew Pollard
Harland NXT 2.0
WWE.com

While NXT 2.0 stars Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker continue to flirt with the WWE main roster, it could be that Vince McMahon's sports entertainment juggernaut is looking to move Harland to Raw or SmackDown sooner rather than later.

Per PWInsider, WWE officials have discussed bringing Harland to main roster TV tapings to work dark matches at some point in the near future. Whether that ends up happening remains to be seen, and even if that did happen, it similarly remains to be seen whether that would result in a call-up for the powerhouse rookie.

Names like Xia Li, Tegan Nox, Shotzi and Aliyah previously worked dark matches before being moved to the main roster, while others such as Dakota Kai, Odyssey Jones and Pete Dunne competed in similar dark matches and are yet to be called up to Raw or SmackDown.

Advertisement

Even before he debuted as Harland on NXT 2.0 last year, the real-life Parker Boudreaux had already amassed quite the buzz for himself. A former college football standout, Boudreaux has spent the past couple of years being compared visually to a young Brock Lesnar, in addition receiving plentiful compliments from Paul Heyman.

Having made his in-ring debut on the 14 December 2021 episode of NXT 2.0, Harland has to date had just six matches. Any immediate call-up would certainly come as a surprise, but WWE clearly has one eye on the 23-year-old, with his football background and 6'4", 300 lbs frame ticking plentiful boxes for what Vince McMahon traditionally looks for in a talent.

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.