The NXT Stars of WWE’s Saturday Night Main Event

Oba Femi

The new two-time NXT Champion, Oba Femi, opened up WWE’s Saturday Night Main Event, facing the WWE Champion, Cody Rhodes. This was a very important match for Femi as it was his first main roster match. Despite the ending, the audience loved the match and Femi. Drew McIntyre interfered making the match end in a no contest.

McIntyre and Femi had a stand off in the ring, which could be foreshadowing a near feud. Rumors have been swirling about Oba Femi officially moving to the main roster. After the performance from Femi and the reaction from the crowd on Saturday Night Main Event, maybe it is time.

Femi debuted in NXT during NXT’s Spring Breakin 2023. Since making his debut he has made himself hard to ignore in NXT and quickly found success. Only six months after his debut, January 2024, Femi defeated Dragon Lee to become the NXT North American Champion. During this time as champion he became the longest reigning North American Champion, holding the title for 273 days. 

Almost exactly a year after Oba Femi won the North American Championship, in January 2025 he would win the NXT Championship and hold that belt for another 263 days. Recently Femi won the championship again at NXT Deadline, reclaiming the title from Ricky Saints. He accomplished a lot in NXT and it may be his time to move up officially to the main roster. What do you think?

Sol Ruca

Sol Ruca is another star who seems likely to stay on the main roster soon. She is also the only NXT star who picked up a victory at SNME. She and Zaria were able to put their issues aside for the night as Zaria stood in Ruca’s corner as she faced Bayley.

It was a very impressive match between the two women, and Ruca came out victorious. For those who didn’t know the name Sol Ruca, they do now. Sol Ruca is also one of the top stars in NXT and a fan favorite. At 26, from Honolulu, Hawaii, she consistently impresses the audience every week with her unique high-flying style.

She has held various championship titles, including the Women’s NXT North American Championship and the Speed Championship simultaneously. Due to injury and Zaria’s attempt to defend her titles, Ruca had lost both championships. But with or without championships, Sol Ruca clearly has a bright future in the WWE.

Je’Von Evans

This 21-year-old has taken NXT by storm. His authenticity and high-flying wrestling style won over the audience. Evans made his in-ring debut in April 2024, meaning that in under two years, he was able to gain an excessive amount of popularity.

His in-ring ability backs up why he is so popular among fans. Evans has an incredible tenacity, making him hard to defeat. He showed this during his match at SNME when he teamed up with TNA’s Leon Slater vs. the WWE Tag Team Champions, AJ Styles and Dragon Lee.

Evans and Slater were defeated, but that doesn’t take anything away from their performance. The match had everyone on their feet. 

Je’Von Evans is another star who seems to be transitioning to the main roster. He made an appearance backstage this week on Monday Night Raw with Adam Pearce, where he created a match for next week between Evans and Rayo Americano. It will be his Monday Night Raw debut, but he has had multiple matches on SmackDown dating back to May of this year, one of which includes a WWE United States Championship match. 

Je’Von Evans seems ready for the main roster, but are you prepared to see Je’Von Evans?

Leon Slater

Je’Von Evans’ tag team partner at SNME was Leon Slater. Both men have a similar fighting style as they are both high flyers and immensely athletic. They also have a long career ahead of them, as they are only 21 years old.

Slater is from TNA and joined in on some of the action in NXT, as part of the NXTNA partnership, which is how the partnership with Evans came about. Slater is the current TNA X-Division Champion. He won the championship back in July after defeating Moose. He has successfully defended the championship over and over again, proving that he is the right man for the position.

When coming to NXT, Slater made his presence known. Fans want to see him in action, which is why Slater keeps returning. Whether it is in NXT or TNA, he has a bright future ahead of him.