Following the main roster call-ups of Trick Williams, Jordynne Grace, and Je’Von Evans, the “WWE NXT” roster had some spots left open. As revealed on X, though, “NXT” General Manager Ava wasted little time filling them.
Ahead of Tuesday night’s “NXT” broadcast, Ava posed for photos alongside what were announced as five of the brand’s newest signees – Vanity Project (Jackson Drake, Brad Baylor, and Ricky Smokes), Eli Knight, and Keanu Carver.
Amongst the five, Carver is the most familiar to the WWE Universe, having already wrestled in the 2023 “NXT” Men’s Breakout Tournament, “”NXT” live events, “WWE Level Up,” and “WWE Evolve.” In 2025, he notably competed in a four-way match to crown the inaugural Men’s Evolve Champion. The match was eventually won by Vanity Project’s Jackson Drake, who has held onto the title ever since.
In addition to their “Evolve” work, all three members of Vanity Project have occasionally wrestled on “NXT,” with Baylor and Smokes most recently appearing in a tag team match against OTM on the December 30 edition. Drake’s latest “NXT” in-ring outing came at Gold Rush week two as he successfully defended his Evolve Title against Sean Legacy. Drake, Baylor, and Smokes initially joined the WWE family through the WWE ID program in late 2024.
Like Vanity Project, Eli Knight’s WWE roots were anchored in the ID program. In his case, WWE named Knight as an ID prospect in October 2025. In December, he took on former No Quarter Catch Crew member Tavion Heights in the WWE Men’s Speed Championship tournament on “NXT.”
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