Top NXT 2.0 Stars Heading To WWE SmackDown This Week

Some of NXT 2.0's biggest and brightest will be at this week's WWE SmackDown tapings.

by Andy H Murray
Io Shirai
WWE

Some of WWE's top NXT 2.0 names will be at this week's SmackDown tapings in Kansas City, Missouri, reports PWInsider's Mike Johnson.

Though there's no word that they will be involved in the Friday night show itself, Io Shirai, Roderick Strong, Dakota Kai, and LA Knight are all due to be brought to the tapings.

WWE booking NXT wrestlers in what were originally reported as "tryout" dark matches at main roster TV tapings has been a regular thing since the summer of 2021. Kai has worked several of these in the past, with her last untelevised main roster bout going down in November 2021, while Knight and Strong have both been at several sets of tapings lately.

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The aforementioned duo were involved in this week's Main Event tapings, with Knight defeating Cedric Alexander and Strong falling to T-Bar.

Knight was also involved in a backstage confrontation with Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler during this week's Raw tapings. Uploaded after the episode, the clip shows the former Eli Drake challenging the Dirty Dawgs to show up at last night's NXT 2.0, which didn't end up happening:-

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.