During this past Tuesday night’s WWE NXT New Year’s Evil special, The Vanity Project, consisting of WWE EVOLVE Champion Jackson Drake, Ricky Smokes, and Brad Baylor, made a notable appearance.
The faction hinted that they would be appearing more regularly on the brand in 2026 after spending a significant amount of time in EVOLVE over the past year.
According to F4WOnline.com, The Vanity Project is currently under WWE ID deals rather than regular WWE contracts under TKO.
No information has been released yet on any plans for WWE to change that arrangement.
The report also noted that these WWE ID deals grant the company a right of first refusal, allowing it to match any offers made to its ID talent by other promotions. With TNA Wrestling partnering with WWE, AEW remains the only other promotion that could realistically extend full-time offers to any of them.
It is currently unclear whether the potential call-up to NXT will change their contractual situation, but updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
Jackson Drake has held the WWE EVOLVE Championship for over 250 days but has not competed since last November. Ricky Smokes and Brad Baylor, performing as Swipe Right, appeared in a losing effort during last month’s NXT year-end awards show. Both wrestle frequently for the Massachusetts Wrestling Open promotion.
Former Vanity Project members Zayda Steel and Bryce Donovan were also WWE ID prospects but left the program in 2025.
