Zoey Serrano does not believe NXT fully prepares talent for the jump to WWE‘s main roster.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, the former Zoey Stark detailed the transition from the developmental brand to Raw and SmackDown, explaining that the starkest contrast comes down to the amount of hands-on creative guidance talent receive backstage:
“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. 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.”
Serrano originally signed with WWE in 2021, capturing the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside IYO SKY. She was called up to Raw in the 2023 WWE Draft and made her in-ring debut for the brand on May 8, defeating Nikki Cross.
Shortly after her main roster arrival, she aligned with Trish Stratus during the WWE Hall of Famer’s program with Becky Lynch, an alliance that lasted through Payback in September 2023.
Her tenure with WWE ended on April 24 after an extended absence. She had been sidelined since May 2025 after suffering ACL, MCL, and meniscus injuries during a match on Raw.
After parting ways with the company, she resumed her in-ring career and officially signed with TNA on August 27. She is scheduled to team with TNA Knockouts World Champion Xia Brookside against Indi Hartwell and Harley Hudson on Thursday’s episode of TNA iMPACT!.