Straight Shooters: An in-depth look at the history of NXT call-ups

After a matter of… hours (?) of build, four premiere NXT talents were called up to the main roster and showcased on RAW and SmackDown Live this week. NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Ricochet and Aleister Black were all in action both Monday and Tuesday nights, and booked pretty strongly, too.

Why did this happen? What does it mean for the future?

On Episode 185 of The Straight Shooters Podcast, Nick Piccone (@nickpiccone) and Vaughn Johnson (@VaughnMJohnson) discuss the call-ups, how long it may last, whether it’s permanent or not, and why it was a good or bad decision on WWE’s part to do it this way.

Then, the duo takes an in-depth look at the history of NXT call-ups, from the failures to successes, and what we thought might hit and didn’t, and vice versa.

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You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and e-mail him at nick@phillyinfluencer.com. You can read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice here.

Subscribe to The Straight Shooters (@ShootersRadio) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, TuneIn Radio, Stitcher, Google Play, Player FM, SoundCloud, and wherever else you get your podcasts! Listen every Friday afternoon at 2:00 P.M. ET on Wildfire Radio.

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About The Author

Nick Piccone

Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years. He founded Bleeding Brotherly Love in April 2011, and renamed it Bleed Philly in 2013. In 2015, he joined Sean Brace in launching Philly Influencer, which quickly became a top Philly sports and culture website. He covered professional wrestling for PhillyVoice from 2015-2021, and co-launched The Straight Shooters podcast in 2015, covering the entire pro wrestling industry. He also produces content for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University.
 
Follow Nick Piccone on Twitter/X, Bluesky, Threads, and TikTok. You can reach him via e-mail at nick@phillyinfluencer.com. You can also read his PhillyVoice archives here.
   
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