Why 4 NXT Stars Were Called Up This Week, Original Plans For WWE Raw

Prior to WWE Raw this week, it was announced that NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black and Ricochet were all backstage at Raw.

It was then announced that they would all be competing on Raw, and all four men managed to pick up some big victories.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Vince McMahon is reacting to recent Raw ratings, and AEW, so he wanted to get great wrestlers on Raw. It’s also being reported that Triple H didn’t know about Vince’s plans and there was a communication issue there.

It’s unclear whether Vince picked the Superstars who appeared on Raw, or if they were picked for him, but he reportedly requested four of the best guys from NXT, and the idea was decided on last week.

Originally Finn Balor was booked to face Ricochet on Raw, but Triple H pushed for the match to be called off because he didn’t want either Balor or Ricochet to lose, so it was changed to Balor & Ricochet vs. Lashley & Rush.