Two NXT Champions Debut On WWE Raw

WrestleMania 40 was one of the biggest WWE shows of all time but one night later, the company was already looking to the future on Raw.

Cody Rhodes finished his story at WrestleMania 40 by finally defeating Roman Reigns to win the WWE Championship. The second night of WrestleMania was also a huge night for one Judgment Day star as Damian Priest cashed in Money In The Bank to become World Heavyweight Champion.

Both of those champions were on Raw in Philadelphia to celebrate their success but with one eye to the future, WWE had two NXT champions debut on the show.

NXT Stars Invade WWE Raw

The first match of the evening saw NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov defeat Shinsuke Nakamura with his vicious Torpedo Moscow. It was then revealed the WWE Draft will take place at the end of April and Dragunov will be eligible to be drafted to Raw or SmackDown.

Later in the evening, it was the turn of NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez to compete on the show. Perez defeated Indi Hartwell in a short contest. Hartwell had won a ladder match at Stand & Deliver in 2023 to end Perez’s first reign as champion but the former ROH Women’s Champion regained her NXT crown at Stand & Deliver 2024 by defeating Lyra Valkyria.