Ricky Saints Set for WWE SmackDown Debut as NXT Call-Ups Continue

Ricky Saints Set for WWE SmackDown Debut as NXT Call-Ups Continue

WWE confirmed on the April 24 episode of WWE SmackDown that Ricky Saints will make his debut on the blue brand next week.

The announcement revealed that Saints will appear on the upcoming SmackDown in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before that, he is scheduled for one final match on WWE NXT, where he will face Shiloh Hill. That bout is expected to mark the end of his NXT run.

Saints heads to SmackDown as a former NXT Champion and becomes part of a growing list of recent call-ups. WWE has shifted several names to the main roster in the days following WrestleMania 42.

On the most recent episode of WWE RAW, Ethan Page and Sol Ruca both made their debuts. Meanwhile, Joe Hendry is set to officially join the brand next week with a scheduled in-ring concert segment.

SmackDown also featured the arrival of Fatal Influence. Jacy Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid debuted together, attacking multiple stars across the women’s division. Their actions impacted a segment involving Paige, Brie Bella, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair, before also targeting Rhea Ripley during her match with Jayne.

The fallout continued backstage, where Flair made it clear she would face Jayne next week, indicating she plans to handle the situation herself rather than align with Ripley.

In addition to Saints and the new faction, a vignette aired on SmackDown confirming that Blake Monroe is also on her way to the brand, further strengthening the incoming talent pool.

With multiple debuts already taking place and more scheduled, WWE is clearly reshaping its roster across both WWE RAW and SmackDown. Saints’ arrival adds another notable name to that list as the company builds new storylines heading into the next phase of programming.

Ricky Saints Set for WWE SmackDown Debut as NXT Call-Ups Continue

Thanks for voting!

AdvertisementAdvertisement

Blake Monroe Called Up to WWE Main Roster After SmackDown Promo Airs

Blake Monroe Called Up to WWE Main Roster After SmackDown Promo Airs

WWE has officially moved Blake Monroe to the main roster, as a debut promo aired during the April 24 episode of WWE SmackDown.

The vignette introduced Monroe with a strong presentation, positioning her as a major addition to the women’s division.

“The Glamour is the girl you’ve been waiting for,” the narrator said. “She’s beauty. She’s grace…and she will probably punch you in the face. The Glamour doesn’t just walk into the spotlight, she’s the reason it exists.”

Monroe’s own voice was then featured in the promo.

“Nothing burns brighter and darker than Blake Monroe.”

The segment confirmed that Monroe’s time in NXT has come to an end, following months of speculation about a potential call-up.

Before joining WWE, Monroe competed under the name Mariah May and built her reputation internationally. She gained recognition in STARDOM before moving to All Elite Wrestling, where she achieved major success. In 2024, she won the Owen Hart Cup and later defeated Toni Storm at All In in London to capture the AEW Women’s World Championship. She eventually lost the title back to Storm in March during a match promoted as the “Hollywood Ending,” which marked her final appearance with the company.

Monroe debuted in NXT in June and quickly became a featured name. She entered a program with Jordynne Grace before capturing the Women’s North American Championship by defeating Zaria, who had previously taken the title from Sol Ruca.

Her title reign ended in December when she dropped the championship to Thea Hail in a match that featured a controversial finish on live television.

Monroe closed out her NXT run with a feud against Tatum Paxley. She challenged Paxley for the Women’s North American Championship at Stand & Deliver but came up short. Her final match on the brand was a loss to Paxley in a casket match earlier this week.

With her SmackDown promo now aired, Monroe is officially set to begin the next phase of her WWE career on the main roster.

Blake Monroe Called Up to WWE Main Roster After SmackDown Promo Airs

Thanks for voting!

AdvertisementAdvertisement

WWE SmackDown 4/24/2026: 3 Things We Hated & 3 Things We Loved

The main roster has been full of “NXT” call-ups in the immediate post-WrestleMania season, but none of them have come even close to the magnitude and magnificence of Jacy Jayne and Fatal Influence’s port to the blue brand. On Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown,” Jayne, Fallon Henley, and Lainey Reid put the entire “SmackDown” women’s locker room on notice — and I truly mean on notice.

First, Jayne’s main roster debut has been a long-time coming. Love her or hate her, she’s been holding down the fort in “NXT.” She has survived several stablemates, the incredible booms of “NXT” upstarts — many of which were her juniors — and multiple “NXT” eras. She is one of the most deserving “NXT” call-ups in recent memory, and after years of incubating in “NXT,” she showed it — no, surpassed all expectations — Friday.

You don’t just get handed the opportunity to beat down WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, recent WWE return and former WWE Divas and “NXT” Women’s Champion Paige, fourteen-time world champion Charlotte Flair, and five-time world champion Alexa Bliss. Unless, that is, you’re Jayne and Fatal Influence. I could not imagine a stronger debut on “SmackDown” than beating up some veritable industry icons — I could not even begin to imagine looking so good while doing it. Jayne walked into her debut with the confidence of a veteran who had been there for years. There was no awkward period, no wait time for her greatness. You could tell, almost immediately, just how in her element Jayne was. For a person who finds competency sexy, I was immediately enamored with Jayne as a blue brand superstar (especially considering the state of “SmackDown’s” female roster, which is…yeah).

You don’t just get handed a match with newly-crowned WWE Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. Unless, that is, you’re Jacy freakin’ Jayne. Jayne and Fatal Influence re-emerged later in the evening to confront “Mami’s” post-WrestleMania celebration, and Jayne was getting Dominik Mysterio-level boos. While other wrestlers would’ve frozen up at the sudden influx of attention, Jayne relished in it. She heckled the crowd right back, and even Ripley couldn’t hold back her smile. Jayne is already so comfortable in this position, and she hasn’t even been on the main roster for a full 24 hours. Imagine how much further she’ll go!

Jayne’s subsequent match with Ripley was a highlight of the night. Jayne and Ripley clicked immediately, and the two of them had a great match that, yes, ended in a disqualification. Still! For Jayne to not take a pin tonight is the cherry on top for an incredibly dominant main roster debut. 

This is the type of explosiveness we need in the women’s division. Jayne has got it.

Written by Angeline Phu

Ricky Saints Called Up From WWE NXT, Will Debut On SmackDown Next Week

“Absolute” Ricky Saints is absolutely ready for his main roster debut. On an episode of “WWE SmackDown” full of “WWE NXT” call-ups and teases, Saints’ incoming blue brand debut was announced via video package, with the former “NXT” Champion’s debut set for next week.

Just before the main event, Saints’ highlight reel graced the WWE Universe. In his promo package, Saints ran through his WWE highlights so far, including his run with the “NXT” North American Championship and with the “NXT” Championship. Glamorous smoulder shots were paired alongside action-packed clips showcasing his finisher, an Inverted Powerbomb/Inverted Front Powerslam affectionately named “Roshambo.”

“I am the man, because I am “Absolute” Ricky freakin’ Saints!” Saints shouted.

Saints will make his main roster debut on the upcoming May 1 episode of “SmackDown,” which will be broadcast live from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Details regarding his debut, such as any intended match or promo segments, have not been released.

Saints isn’t the only “NXT” talent expected to make their main roster debut that night, as former “NXT” women’s North American Champion Blake Monroe is also slated for her breakout onto the main roster. May 1 will, interestingly, be an AEW reunion on WWE soil. Before coming to WWE, Saints and Monroe wrestled in AEW, where they wrestled under the names “Ricky Starks” and “Mariah May” respectively. Saints made his first WWE appearance in February 2025, whereas Monroe stepped onto the WWE scene that following June.

As of writing, no further “NXT” call-ups have been announced for either “WWE Raw” or “SmackDown.”

Blake Monroe Called Up From WWE NXT, Coming To SmackDown

Former Women’s North American Champion Blake Monroe seems to have officially been called up to the main roster from “WWE NXT,” as she’s being promoted as “coming soon” to “WWE SmackDown.” During Friday’s episode, a video vignette for “The Glamour” played, advertising her impending arrival to the blue brand.

The video, similar to her initial debut vignette on “NXT” when it came to the voiceover, showed various clips of Monroe in some of her recent matches on the developmental brand. Monroe lost a casket match against Women’s NA Champion Tatum Paxley on Tuesday’s edition of “NXT: Revenge.” Paxley shutting the casket lid seemingly sealed Monroe’s fate, as her call-up had been rumored for months.

Monroe, the former Mariah May in AEW, where she held the AEW Women’s World Championship, joined “NXT” in June, following her departure from Tony Khan’s company in May. Her WWE in-ring debut came at the Great American Bash when she teamed with Jordynne Grace to defeat Fatal Influence, but she turned heel on Grace the next night, kicking off her first official feud in the company. She won the Women’s North American Championship from Zaria, who was defending the gold on behalf of Sol Ruca, at Halloween Havoc in October.