A recent study reveals that, in a stark reversal of convention, the majority of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Superstars® are valiantly struggling to get “called down” from the company’s main roster to its more exciting and engaging “developmental” league, NXT.

In the past, rookie wrestlers honed their chops in NXT hoping that, one day, they might perform on WWE’s flagship programs Raw or Smackdown. But now the opposite appears to be happening, according to the study published in the Harvard Review of Sports Entertainment.

“I’m hoping that, if I add a bunch more moves to my arsenal and make my matches more exciting, I just might get a spot on NXT,” revealed John Cena in a candid interview.

Added Cena: “Maybe someday I’ll be in the same league as Sami Zayn.”

Once considered a demotion, “getting sent down to NXT” is now considered the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a WWE performer, given the high caliber of talent consistently on display in WWE’s farm league.

Randy Orton, a multi-time WWE Champion, recently tweeted: “I’ve achieved many things in my career, but my ultimate goal is to win the NXT Championship in front of 150 fans at Full Sail University.”