On October 13, 2016, it was announced that James would return to WWE's developmental brand NXT at the event on November 19, competing against Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship. On the October 26 episode of "NXT", James cut a promo where she formally re–introduced herself and challenged Asuka for the championship. At the event, James was defeated and after the match Asuka refused to shake her hand as a sign of disrespect. On December 8, it was announced that James had signed a multi–year contract with WWE.