Zoey Stark doesn’t think NXT prepares talent for main roster.
The former WWE star spent 2 years on NXT after signing with the company in early 2021. She had a run with the NXT women’s tag titles during her time before being drafted to Raw in April 2023. She failed to win any championships during her 3 years on the main roster and was released from her contract in April this year.
The now former WWE star talked about her time with the company during her recent appearance on Busted Open Radio. Zoey Stark was asked if she thought NXT prepared her for main roster, and the former champion claimed that being on Raw or SmackDown is a whole different ballgame:
I don’t think so. I personally don’t think it does. I would love to say it does, but it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re up there. You don’t have people telling you exactly what you’re going to do in every single moment.
It’s Sink or Swim: Zoey Stark
Zoey Stark explained that people like Shawn Michaels are always there to help talent on NXT and every match is laid out in advance. This isn’t the case with main roster where it’s a sink or swim situation:
When I was in NXT, you would sit there in the ring with (Johnny) Russo, Shawn (Michaels), (Matt) Bloom, and they would say, ‘Say it like this, do it like that,’ and give you different ideas of how to portray it.
Same thing with the match. You’re going through it, A to Z, everything that is going to happen. When you go to the main roster, you don’t have that opportunity. It’s just sink or swim when you figure it out as you go,
Stark, who is now going by the name Zoey Serrano spent 8 years on the indies and had a short run with Impact Wrestling before joining WWE. She has returned to independent wrestling after her release, and Serrano also made her surprise return to TNA during the August 27 episode of Impact.
H/t Fightful for the quotes
