WWE has flirted with the idea of having Samoa Joe debut on the main roster after WrestleMania 32 in April, with talk of having him make his first appearance on the RAW that takes place the night after WrestleMania. However, due to the way tonight’s NXT tapings played out, it appears they will be going a slightly different direction.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE was planning on having Joe debut on the main roster on the RAW after WrestleMania, unless he earned the NXT title shot at tonight’s NXT tapings, which he did.

The plan if WWE decided to go with Joe vs. Finn Balor for the NXT title at the NXT TakeOver: Dallas event during WrestleMania weekend, was for Joe to win the title from Balor, which would lengthen his stay in NXT. Joe beat Sami Zayn to earn the NXT Dallas title shot this evening in Winter Park, Florida, meaning it appears WWE is going with the Joe NXT title run scenario.

Additionally, Meltzer noted that if WWE went the direction they appear to be headed, it would also mean Sami Zayn is set to move to the main roster, where he is expected to jump right into the ready-made program with longtime rival Kevin Owens.

It’s also worth noting that in the case of Finn Balor, it was originally believed that he too would move to the main roster after WrestleMania, but as of right now, WWE appears to be more interested in keeping him in NXT as the flagship singles star of the promotion, particularly because of their plans to expand the NXT touring schedule in 2016.

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(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter at F4WOnline.com)