TNA's Zoey Serrano (Fka Stark) Doesn't Think WWE NXT Prepares You For The Main Roster

New TNA Wrestling star Zoey Serrano, FKA Zoey Stark in WWE, has rejected the notion that "NXT" helps WWE wrestlers transition to the main roster.

Serrano was asked by Bully Ray on "Busted Open" whether "NXT" — which has long been heralded as the training school for future WWE main roster stars — prepares wrestlers to be a success on "Raw" or "SmackDown." Serrano was unsure if that was the case, explaining how wrestlers are thrown into the deep end on the main roster compared to "NXT," where there's guidance at every step of the way.

"I don't think so [NXT prepares wrestlers for the main roster]. I personally don't think it is. I would love to say it does, but it's just a whole different ball game when you're up there [on the main roster]," she said. "You don't have people telling you exactly what you're going to do in every single moment of ... when I was in NXT and I had a problem, you would sit there in the ring with [Johnny] Russo and Shawn [Michaels] and [Matt] Bloom, and they would say, 'Okay, say it like this or do it like that,' and give you different ideas of how to portray it. Same thing with your match. You're going through it A to Z. You know, everything that's going to happen. When you go up to the main roster, you don't have that opportunity. It's just kind of like sink or swim, kid. Let's figure it out as you go."

Serrano spent several years in the indies before being signed by WWE, where she debuted in "NXT." After a few years in the developmental brand, she was called up to the main roster in 2023, and it seemed like WWE was keen to push her, pairing her with WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, but she couldn't quite climb up the women's division.