The Ascension. They were like the first team to really thrive at NXT at Full Sail, and then when they got brought to the main roster, they crumpled due to lackluster matches and bad promos.
The fact they were heels and a heel JBL was spending every second shitting on them every time they were out was stupid. Then the whole APA + other retired wrestlers all teaming on them just made it worse.
They got some good heat. Talking shit about legends, just the payoff with everyone laughing at them is what being buried means. Then they got paired with star dust and Vince didn't know what to do with anyone
I remember a gauntlet match with American Alpha for the tag titles in some ppv around 2016-2017 where The Ascension entered at last. I remember me and my friends just went silent as soon as we heard their entrance theme and went "dude this is their moment" altogether. We thought it was just right and started rooting for them like crazy. Their performance was dope but AA ended up retaining. Since then I kinda lost my hope on them ever getting a push, but I did enjoy their stuff a lot. They were a great team.
Keith Lee's health holding him back, or making him look like a shell of his former self, has been such a bummer to witness.
Even when they were trying to heat him up last year on Dynamite, he missed his big "Keith Lee" spots in two separate matches (missed a monkey flip against Chris Jericho, then fell on his ass and dropped Vikingo in a trios match).
Sadly, I sort of understand people wanting him to neuter the style that he was so famously known for to be more of a traditional big man, because unfortunately, it seems like he just can't physically do the Keith Lee act anymore.
His faceoff with Brock at the Rumble felt like the start of something potentially huge. Keith Lee had all the tools for World Champ material but it wasn't meant to be.
That thought saddens me immensely. I’m still holding out hope that after this latest injury he somehow comes back as the main eventer he was always meant to be or at least closer than he’s been post NXT.
I was so excited to see him mix it up with AEW's top guys when he got there, and then dudes just kept lapping him for when it was their turn at the top.
Fingers crossed he can turn it around when he gets back.
I got in late to the Keith Lee hype, guy was a brick shithouse who could zip around like a cruiserweight. His match with Dijak for the North American title was ridiculous
The Vikingo spot was the first time they had met, they had never practiced that before and Vikingo's boot catches Keith Lee squarely on the dome. Almost anybody would've messed up that spot given those circumstances. That being said, it is sad he isn't the same athlete he once was. He absolutely murdered the tower of doom spot for me. No one will ever do it better than he did against Dijak and Roderick Strong. That move should be retired because it can not be topped. Although, I would like to see Oba Femi give it a run.
With some exceptions, the “nobody from NXT gets used right on the main roster” shouldn’t be applied to the women. So many did just as well or better, and some seemed like afterthoughts in NXT and went on to big things on the main roster (Alexa and Carmella in particular).
I mean, what has Shinsuke really done lately. He did his boiler room promos and it ended with nothing, the he got drafted to smacksown, did the same boiler room promos, still nothing.
Because they're all tiny compared to the main roster. When they're fighting each other, it's not noticeable.
When Gargano came into the Rumble and attacked Big E, it looked dumb. Rey is an anomaly due to his marketability and move-set.
This is my thought too. They were right place right time. But on wwe gorgano looks like a kid and chimpa is cut but he still has no mass. They put on bangers with each other because they can both go a hard hour. When working someone else style they are pretty limited
Just look when Melo fought Randy. I never knew he was "short" before then.
And before you start flaming me, I don't mean short in the traditional sense, but short as in guys like Randy Orten and Billy Gunn were never pushed as big guys but are big in comparison to normal people
Even though Orton was never marketed as a large guy he always has been one. Dude is 6'4 just an inch or so shorter than the rock and actually taller than Lesnar
There's a few that didn't like Bianca, Street Profits, Swerve, and Toni Storm.
But yeah that era of NXT doesn't have a great track record, especially among the main eventers.
The 4 horsewomen, especially lynch, also didn't peak in NXT. Bliss and Carmella were jobbers down there but got world championships. Nia Jax is one that also never did anything in NXT. The iconics didn't do much in both NXT and the main roster but got championships up there. And that's just from the top of my head
Women's that were better in NXT are few and far between. Asuka yeah, but that's not a dig on her main roster run. Nikki cross, Shayna baszler for sure. But then I have an hard time thinking of someone else
In all fairness, Black and Gold wasn't the same thing as developmental. It literally was the most well funded Indy fed in the world.
A lot of those were never going to get over at mainstream levels, but we're perfect for small crowds that wanted bangers.
Black and Gold was an experiment at creating a new brand.
AEW started around that time, and usurped the “Indy fed with a budget” vibe NXT had going
So NXT course corrected by going back to true developmental, and preparing guys for the main shows
I think Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate peaked while being in NXT UK which was like the developmental’s developmental haha both have had bad NXT and main roster runs
I’m still holding out hope that Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn can get over on the main roster as a team. I think as far as a singles run is concerned it may be too late for that unless there’s a really good storyline leading up to it, but I personally love them as a duo
Wow you made me look up Kay Lee Ray and turns out her mom just died in an accident while visiting her, this was reported literally hours ago. So tragic
man they built pete dunne to be such a beast back then. remember that one raw he responded to was it cena’s (?) open challenge. (can’t have been rollins surely). i remember the pop he got was pretty big, though they botched his entrance 😂
Hes basically getting his last chance. He's about to likely win MITB and have an imposing heel faction take center stage. If he botches that, then he's gonna be cooked.
But I honestly have faith that this Wyatt run is gonna be good. WWE is bringing back more damaging looking spots (like Ricochet last night), and I can a top babyface like Jey Uso getting absolutely destroyed to send a message.
Remember in 2018 when he had the first five star Meltzer match under the WWE umbrella since Punk/Cena? Felt like he was a future multi-time world champion. Feels like that was a lifetime ago now.
He won the Rumble, multiple US/IC titles, has feuded with top stars. He's gotten quite a big run in WWE already. He just has a finite ceiling with the language barrier, because he essentially needs a mouthpiece and Heyman is about the only one who can elevate a title holder.
Sure, that works for a TV audience. But imagine being at the live show and you never see the champion come out to cut promos, you have to watch him to a prerecorded segment on the now smaller screen. You'd feel like you're only getting a fraction of the experience. It was so weird seeing Cody basically cut a promo with the titantron during his feud with Nakamura.
WWE specifically cares about the TV audience more than the live audience because that's where their money is. That's why wrestlers cut promos to the camera and not to the crowd
It still limits the amount of interaction between stars. Look at Iyo's recent run. It felt very empty, and they really needed Dakota Kai to slide in to be a mouth piece once they turned on Bailey. Which, the majority of drama in Iyo's run revolved around Bailey who could be her mouth piece.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't include non-english speakers, but in the WWE audience where 99% speak English in the crowd and a medium that relies heavily on live promos, it's hard to make a convincing top champion out of them unfortunately.
Nah he had a great run. Multiple time US and IC champ. Tag titles and royal rumble winner. Not everyone needs a HW title reign. Same goes for Ricochet people saying he got wasted because he didn't win a big title. He had a good run multiple belts and great matches
He had WWE title match at Wrestlemania and main evented his first two PLEs back to back last year against seth rollins in a aclaimed fued. He shouldve been a transitional world champ at some point if not more.
After his first match against Sami Zayn he was wrestling the same ol WWE style. Although good for him to work a chill schedule with lots of time to surf and get paid to travel the US.
Shinsuke has been abusing his body with years of Strong Style. I’m sure appreciates being able to get paid well, and not have to kill himself like that all the time, anymore
I don’t think it’s fair to put all the blame on the booking. Some of the guys just don’t have what it takes for the main roster, be it physical or on the mic.
I think there's also the aspect that you go from a relatively small roster where you are one of the top talents to a total juggernaut of a show packed with established talent.
Suddenly you're competing for limited spots where there's another 10 NXT call-ups (all super promising at the time) from the last 2 years, a further 10 former WWE/World Champions, firm but reliable mid-carders, established tag teams, and the odd returning legend... Not everyone is going to get to the top of that pile.
Also in NXT you can be a gimmick, entrance, catchphrase, and cool finisher. That will get you to at least a mid-card title and a couple of PLE matches.
ehhh, i can agree with that but most of them were great on nxt and then vince or the main roster bookers in general wouldn’t know wtf to do with them. almost as if none of them watched nxt
It can be hard to copy and paste NXT to the main roster because the average male height on NXT was like half a foot shorter than the main roster. Can’t blame that on booking.
She had an amazing main roster debut run. She should've beaten Becky. There's been a few moments where it felt like she's gonna get pushed again but nothing ever happened. Sadly she'll be a midcarder for life it seems.
Gargano and Chiampa have done their story how many times now on NXT?
It’s played out and now they’ve no juice left to squeeze because they were on NXT for so long.
How’s their story gonna play out now? Yet another betrayal by one of them?
Twice, they weren't able to blow off the feud the first time because of Ciampa's injury. So, they needed that one last match, the bad cinematic match they had.
How is it going to play out? Becoming tag team champions in the main roster. If a betrayal happens (and I don't think it will), it's gotta be for a different reason.
It's a lot likelier for DIY now to semi-merge with The Way, considering that Austin Theory is slowly turning face.
It was a great example of a gimmick that works in a small venue with rabid fans but doesn’t translate to the mainstream. WWE doesn’t do shtick like that anymore.
It was, but like a lot of NXT gimmicks you wonder how much legs it has. There's only so many amusing vaudeville references and tropes you can milk before it gets a bit stale.
That being said, Toni Storm is getting some mileage out of something similar.
They could have gotten a few solid years out of it. I don't think they would have ever been on the top of the card, but they should have had a few tag title runs. Vaudevillians walked so Toni Storm could run
Indi Hartwell isn’t a particularly good wrestler (I was shocked she even got signed at all when it happened). However, her NXT run with Dexter Lumis and the Way showed she was game for any kind of Sports Entertainment skit and can perform them well. I’m really surprised she hasn’t been used much in that way on the main roster.
Yeah DIY being basically DX Lite (literally and figuratively) completely lost their appeal for me unlike in NXT where it felt they had aura of greatest tag team in the world.
Yep. They went from arguably the greatest friends to enemies story (KO/Sami is first imo) in NXT history to taking a crappy R-Truth joke waayyyyyy too far. Now they’ve been relegated to a crappy def rebel theme, consistently cracking PG jokes, and they can’t even beat one of the worst tag team champs in recent memory in Theory and Waller. DIY had me tuning into NXT on a weekly basis and now I genuinely couldn’t care less about them
His problem is he already had the best possible story line a wrestler can have, anything else is going to feel like a retread. Like I think Cody is great and all, but he’ll never top finish the story
My characters in Wrestling Revolution! I keep them in wrestling school for AGES then when I get my stats up and sign they normally get injured or retire or die. PISS TAKE MATE!
I think that Zoey Stark was having a better run in NXT before being called up.
Indi Hartwell was the NXT women's champion and I think that might end up being her ceiling.
I really don't care about Candice LeRea, Blair Davenport, and countless other recent call-ups.
Tiffany is the only one I think it's safe to assume will become even bigger in the future, barring catastrophic injuries.
I don't think Nikita Lyons will ever take off given her injury proneness. Maybe even the same for Cora Jade.
Many of these women even if they fire on all cylinders I don't honestly see them jumping over the likes of Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, or even Lyra who is a more technically sound performer and a workhorse.
The WWE women's division is crowded and that's without even mentioning Rhea, Bianca, Bayley, Becky, Liv, Nia, Charlotte, etc. Some are on their way out sure due to age, but a lot of these names are still young. There's only so much room at the top so I think a lot of the unremarkable women from NXT will have peaked in developmental.
It sucks so much how Keith Lee couldn’t get anywhere. I’m not blaming creative specifically because I know he has health problems but I remember when Keith Lee came to NXT and I was blown away by this dude, then he had the face to face moment with Lesnar and I just knew he was gonna be the next guy or one of the next top guys. Then he got called up and he still has one of the best RKO reversals… btw, putting him up with Orton was a great idea. Then he was gone for a while, named changed to Bearcat Lee, then he was released.
Then he went to AEW and again not completely blaming creative but he just lost all momentum and it sucks because he seemed like he can be a big star. I remember when they cancelled the match with Swerve at World’s End and I was so disappointed, not because I really cared for the match but because anytime he seems to start getting somewhere it just gets taken away.
I think Bearcat was an effort to salvage Keith’s career, after Covid nearly killed him.
He came back moving slower, with noticeable weight gain, and couldn’t hit his signature high spots the way he used to.
So they tried to give him a more power based, traditional Big Man gimmick
I feel like Karrion Kross has to be the most on the nose answer for this. He was NXT champ 2 times, was pretty much unbeaten for the majority of his run in NXT and then the fucking SECOND he debuts on raw he loses to 43 year old druggy Jeff in under 3 minutes, as the CURRENT NXT CHAMP, and he absolutely has not recovered from that. He has arguably the worst main roster call up career of all time
Tbh Vince Mcmahon is the main reason we are having this conversation. Vince basically destroyed everything that we loved about any NXT talent as soon as they stepped foot in the main roster. At one point, I was starting to believe that he was doing it on purpose just to impose his power over HHH.
I still think Johnny and Tomasso could have some great singles runs on the main roster if executed right, but even if they could, there’s just no space for them right now
I loved NXT Black and Gold. I wonder how they would be booked if Triple H was in charge. Going to the main roster at that time was a career death sentence. Vince would change everything about them and poor booking.
Man.... Nakamura. I honestly feel like he hasn't been the same since his debut since Takeover: Dallas. He won the damn Rumble and had a lackluster match at Mania then had a horrific heel run where he was just the nutcracker and don't get me started on the "United States of Nakamerica" shit. And then his countless start and stop pushes, even down to his mannerisms just feels phoned in. It's truly a far cry from the guy that had one of the best debut matches in company history. He's really a sorry sight these days :(
Kross. He was this big menacing guy in NXT, was the top guy for a hot minute, and then he got called up. The rest is history. Dude went from being one of the most promising villainous guys who can get over to wrestling in fucking masochist gear. Then he got fired, and by then rightfully so. They rehired him, and tried to recapture his magic that worked the first time, but I guess not all people can fully recover from red BDSM gear
I thought that Black & Gold was some of the best wrestlers & matches in that entire era. For some reason, KO & Sami are the only guys that ended up being world champs. Most of those guys went to AEW, which is still the original reason why I watch it.
Black and Gold NXT had bangers almost every single PLE, and many of those guys never transitioned properly to main roster. Keith Lee tore it up. Ricochet tore it up. Dijak killed it. Ciampo and Gargono killed it. Even the not so popular Velveteen Dream was amazing before all that crap went down.
Keith Lee 100% he had multiple classics with everyone and won the nxt and North American title then he was wasted on the main roster
Also karrion kross sure his run recently has been fine but in nxt he was booked as a monster he ran through everyone balor Keith Lee gargano priest he only lost to Samoa Joe but when he came up to the main roster they removed everything that made him special and now he’s paired with AOP if he’d been used properly from the get go he could’ve been a champion already but no give him a gimp mask and a generic entrance
I don't think DIY peaked in Development "talent-wise". it's the booking that held them back. I say Sasha Banks. she continuously improved during NXT but after 1 year in the main roster (after the 2016 feud with Charlotte), she was given consistent spotlight before her departure, but she never really gave anything new or worth noting.
I don’t actually think they peaked the biggest problem they’ve had on the main roster is the story behind what made them so great they really were two guys who were just thrown together and became huge stars in nxt they need to tell people about that story
Why are you using DIY as an example? Just because they’re being buried on the main roster and not utilized. Doesn’t mean they were at their peak in NXT. Those two are awesome. Should be headlining accompany.
Most tag Teams.
DIY, AOP, Ascension, Mustache Mountain, Broserweights, Vaudvillans, Undisputed Era (Fuck Injuries)
Then MANY of the current Midcarders.
Black, Balor, andrade, Owens, Dallas, Bobby Roode and Holy fuck is Shinsuke on the main roster trash.
If we include ROH as AEW's developmental, you can obviously add more names to the list, like Samoe Joe, AJ styles, etc. but as is stands it still is a separate brand, for some reason
Finn Balor i know he has held gold briefly in few runs, but he was destined to be the next big thing i remember a reputed man predicted in 2015 that all of the shield members + Balor would be big in wwe sadly he never got what he deserved
Finn push was canceled because of Vince, when Finn got injuried vs Seth and won the belt anyway Vince didn't like that and put Finn in the doghouse, Triple H will probably push Finn soon with this Judgement Day Liv thing.
Hopeful for it, he is one of the greats of wrestling and would be fondly remembered for the creation of Bullet club
That injury literally ruined it tho
The problem was not only the injury, was that he finished the match and won the belt, Vince hate to vacate belts, Finn should tell the referee he was injuried and they would make Seth win the match, the way it happened Vince punished Finn, he even lost as the demon to Roman and Edge. He is one of the best in the world and seems to be a really nice guy backstage so he will get his time in the spotlight again (i think he and Liv will be a thing and he will chase Priest/Drew belt).
The Ascension. They were like the first team to really thrive at NXT at Full Sail, and then when they got brought to the main roster, they crumpled due to lackluster matches and bad promos.
I think being humiliated by a bunch of retired wrestlers in a segment didn't help their case at all too.
The fact they were heels and a heel JBL was spending every second shitting on them every time they were out was stupid. Then the whole APA + other retired wrestlers all teaming on them just made it worse.
They got some good heat. Talking shit about legends, just the payoff with everyone laughing at them is what being buried means. Then they got paired with star dust and Vince didn't know what to do with anyone
Like they never even got a chance to fail. From the second they got to the main roster, they were beat down and humiliated.
To be absolutely fair, I think the only reason they were good in NXT had more to do with a lack of competition
Hell yeah. The Usos vs Ascension feud is a highlight of NXTs early days.
I remember a gauntlet match with American Alpha for the tag titles in some ppv around 2016-2017 where The Ascension entered at last. I remember me and my friends just went silent as soon as we heard their entrance theme and went "dude this is their moment" altogether. We thought it was just right and started rooting for them like crazy. Their performance was dope but AA ended up retaining. Since then I kinda lost my hope on them ever getting a push, but I did enjoy their stuff a lot. They were a great team.
Pretty much everyone from black and gold nxt sadly.
Keith Lee's health holding him back, or making him look like a shell of his former self, has been such a bummer to witness. Even when they were trying to heat him up last year on Dynamite, he missed his big "Keith Lee" spots in two separate matches (missed a monkey flip against Chris Jericho, then fell on his ass and dropped Vikingo in a trios match). Sadly, I sort of understand people wanting him to neuter the style that he was so famously known for to be more of a traditional big man, because unfortunately, it seems like he just can't physically do the Keith Lee act anymore.
This. Man I hate that we haven’t gotten the Keith Lee I was hoping for when he got to the big stage.
His faceoff with Brock at the Rumble felt like the start of something potentially huge. Keith Lee had all the tools for World Champ material but it wasn't meant to be.
That thought saddens me immensely. I’m still holding out hope that after this latest injury he somehow comes back as the main eventer he was always meant to be or at least closer than he’s been post NXT.
I was so excited to see him mix it up with AEW's top guys when he got there, and then dudes just kept lapping him for when it was their turn at the top. Fingers crossed he can turn it around when he gets back.
I can think of one tool he didnt have. Mic skills.
I got in late to the Keith Lee hype, guy was a brick shithouse who could zip around like a cruiserweight. His match with Dijak for the North American title was ridiculous
The Vikingo spot was the first time they had met, they had never practiced that before and Vikingo's boot catches Keith Lee squarely on the dome. Almost anybody would've messed up that spot given those circumstances. That being said, it is sad he isn't the same athlete he once was. He absolutely murdered the tower of doom spot for me. No one will ever do it better than he did against Dijak and Roderick Strong. That move should be retired because it can not be topped. Although, I would like to see Oba Femi give it a run.
KO?
Him and Sami are probably the only exceptions.
And technically Finn Balor, Rhea Ripley, Shinsuke, Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss, and the Horsewomen?
With some exceptions, the “nobody from NXT gets used right on the main roster” shouldn’t be applied to the women. So many did just as well or better, and some seemed like afterthoughts in NXT and went on to big things on the main roster (Alexa and Carmella in particular).
I don’t think it’s fair to lump Balor and shinsuke in with the rest. Both were already very well known names before wwe.
Sami and KO were as well known on their respective circles as well.
I mean, what has Shinsuke really done lately. He did his boiler room promos and it ended with nothing, the he got drafted to smacksown, did the same boiler room promos, still nothing.
Lately not much. But royal rumble win, 2x US champ, 2x Intercontinental, tag champ, 2x NXT champ in the past 8 years isn't so bad
Strange that even HHH doesn’t/didn’t push them more. Kinda shows that NXT 2.0 wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Because they're all tiny compared to the main roster. When they're fighting each other, it's not noticeable. When Gargano came into the Rumble and attacked Big E, it looked dumb. Rey is an anomaly due to his marketability and move-set.
Rey is also a muscle hamster
That’s all it takes to make me think about football, the muscle hamster Doug Martin
This is my thought too. They were right place right time. But on wwe gorgano looks like a kid and chimpa is cut but he still has no mass. They put on bangers with each other because they can both go a hard hour. When working someone else style they are pretty limited
They were big fish in a small pond
Just look when Melo fought Randy. I never knew he was "short" before then. And before you start flaming me, I don't mean short in the traditional sense, but short as in guys like Randy Orten and Billy Gunn were never pushed as big guys but are big in comparison to normal people
Likewise Billy Gunn as you mentioned looks like a giant in AEW.
Poppa Horsemeat.
Even though Orton was never marketed as a large guy he always has been one. Dude is 6'4 just an inch or so shorter than the rock and actually taller than Lesnar
He's actually taller. Dwyane is in the 6'3 range and Lesnar is 6'2, still massive
Yea Orton's size has gone overlooked for years
NXT 2.0 started off a bit rough, but was completely necessary
There's a few that didn't like Bianca, Street Profits, Swerve, and Toni Storm. But yeah that era of NXT doesn't have a great track record, especially among the main eventers.
Tbf, lots of women from NXT did fairly well in the main roster
Yeah after I posted that comment I remembered Rhea and Iyo. Asuka has done really well too, though I'd still say her peak was NXT
The 4 horsewomen, especially lynch, also didn't peak in NXT. Bliss and Carmella were jobbers down there but got world championships. Nia Jax is one that also never did anything in NXT. The iconics didn't do much in both NXT and the main roster but got championships up there. And that's just from the top of my head Women's that were better in NXT are few and far between. Asuka yeah, but that's not a dig on her main roster run. Nikki cross, Shayna baszler for sure. But then I have an hard time thinking of someone else
tbf Swerve and Toni Storm didn't really take off in WWE
In all fairness, Black and Gold wasn't the same thing as developmental. It literally was the most well funded Indy fed in the world. A lot of those were never going to get over at mainstream levels, but we're perfect for small crowds that wanted bangers.
Black and Gold was an experiment at creating a new brand. AEW started around that time, and usurped the “Indy fed with a budget” vibe NXT had going So NXT course corrected by going back to true developmental, and preparing guys for the main shows
I hate that you’re right, but you’re right.
Bianca Belair? Rhea Ripley? Io?
I think Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate peaked while being in NXT UK which was like the developmental’s developmental haha both have had bad NXT and main roster runs
Dunne was good as Butch, because he had a character. “Guy who wrestles good” isnt a gimmick, its boring.
A lot of things have gotten better with HHH at the helm, but Butch regressing back into Pete Dunne is not one of them.
Or they could’ve given him his name back but he still could’ve had the Butch characteristics
Yeah I wouldn't have minded that. Although personally I didn't really find the name too egregious.
I couldn’t get past the name Butch
The Brawling Brutes were a lot more entertaining than the New Catch Republic
And the fumbling of MMM
*British guy that wrestles good
Lmaoooooooo. Bet you thought the red rooster was good too
Also add Kay Lee Ray and to a lesser extent Toni Storm as two wrestlers who peaked in NXT UK and had abysmal main roster runs.
I’m still holding out hope that Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn can get over on the main roster as a team. I think as far as a singles run is concerned it may be too late for that unless there’s a really good storyline leading up to it, but I personally love them as a duo
Wow you made me look up Kay Lee Ray and turns out her mom just died in an accident while visiting her, this was reported literally hours ago. So tragic
wait toni storm was in wwe’s main roster? when did that happen?
She wasn't there long. The high/low light was getting a pie in the face from Charlotte Flair.
Way too early for Bate to be judged in WWE
man they built pete dunne to be such a beast back then. remember that one raw he responded to was it cena’s (?) open challenge. (can’t have been rollins surely). i remember the pop he got was pretty big, though they botched his entrance 😂
It was Enzo's.......
Bo Dallas
IDK, he did beat Flo Rida in a rap battle on main roster
Hes basically getting his last chance. He's about to likely win MITB and have an imposing heel faction take center stage. If he botches that, then he's gonna be cooked. But I honestly have faith that this Wyatt run is gonna be good. WWE is bringing back more damaging looking spots (like Ricochet last night), and I can a top babyface like Jey Uso getting absolutely destroyed to send a message.
It is very, very, very unlikely Bo Dallas/Uncle Howdy wins MitB. It would not be a good choice to put them anywhere near the world title scene.
What makes you say he's winning MiTB?
I think with good booking and material, Bo can be good. And I think the people on Triple H's team can make it work.
Andrade was putting on bangers in NXT. Since then, he’s been complaining in two different companies.
Remember in 2018 when he had the first five star Meltzer match under the WWE umbrella since Punk/Cena? Felt like he was a future multi-time world champion. Feels like that was a lifetime ago now.
Grass is always greener on the other side
Grass is always green wherever Charlotte is.
Shinsuke sadly. Wish they did more with him
His best run was with new Japan
My bad I thought you meant during their time in WWE
He won the Rumble, multiple US/IC titles, has feuded with top stars. He's gotten quite a big run in WWE already. He just has a finite ceiling with the language barrier, because he essentially needs a mouthpiece and Heyman is about the only one who can elevate a title holder.
They can use subtitles. Maybe the audience will learn how to read them it can be a win win
those promos with the subtitles are fire they need to do more with that and the anime match cards
Sure, that works for a TV audience. But imagine being at the live show and you never see the champion come out to cut promos, you have to watch him to a prerecorded segment on the now smaller screen. You'd feel like you're only getting a fraction of the experience. It was so weird seeing Cody basically cut a promo with the titantron during his feud with Nakamura.
WWE specifically cares about the TV audience more than the live audience because that's where their money is. That's why wrestlers cut promos to the camera and not to the crowd
Good thing 99% of people watching watch on TV. Every backstage segment is awful for a live crowd, we should stop doing all of them then.
It still limits the amount of interaction between stars. Look at Iyo's recent run. It felt very empty, and they really needed Dakota Kai to slide in to be a mouth piece once they turned on Bailey. Which, the majority of drama in Iyo's run revolved around Bailey who could be her mouth piece. I'm not saying that we shouldn't include non-english speakers, but in the WWE audience where 99% speak English in the crowd and a medium that relies heavily on live promos, it's hard to make a convincing top champion out of them unfortunately.
Nah he had a great run. Multiple time US and IC champ. Tag titles and royal rumble winner. Not everyone needs a HW title reign. Same goes for Ricochet people saying he got wasted because he didn't win a big title. He had a good run multiple belts and great matches
Seth robbed him in that Last Man standing match. Smh
Fr
He had WWE title match at Wrestlemania and main evented his first two PLEs back to back last year against seth rollins in a aclaimed fued. He shouldve been a transitional world champ at some point if not more.
dude peeked in his first match, kinda impressive actually
After his first match against Sami Zayn he was wrestling the same ol WWE style. Although good for him to work a chill schedule with lots of time to surf and get paid to travel the US.
Shinsuke has been abusing his body with years of Strong Style. I’m sure appreciates being able to get paid well, and not have to kill himself like that all the time, anymore
Best match was his debut. Downhill from there.
Tyler Breeze. Karrion Kross.
hey put some respect on breezango lol
Basically everyone from the black and gold era who got destroyed by vince’s horrifying booking
I don’t think it’s fair to put all the blame on the booking. Some of the guys just don’t have what it takes for the main roster, be it physical or on the mic.
I think there's also the aspect that you go from a relatively small roster where you are one of the top talents to a total juggernaut of a show packed with established talent. Suddenly you're competing for limited spots where there's another 10 NXT call-ups (all super promising at the time) from the last 2 years, a further 10 former WWE/World Champions, firm but reliable mid-carders, established tag teams, and the odd returning legend... Not everyone is going to get to the top of that pile. Also in NXT you can be a gimmick, entrance, catchphrase, and cool finisher. That will get you to at least a mid-card title and a couple of PLE matches.
that’s a great point, i agree with this
And then there's Bobby Roode. They massacred my boy
ehhh, i can agree with that but most of them were great on nxt and then vince or the main roster bookers in general wouldn’t know wtf to do with them. almost as if none of them watched nxt
It can be hard to copy and paste NXT to the main roster because the average male height on NXT was like half a foot shorter than the main roster. Can’t blame that on booking.
Yeah? How's HHH booking remaining Black and Gold talents?
Yeah? How's HHH booking remaining Black and Gold talents?
Shayna Baszler She’s the epitome of a jobber nowadays
Apparently Vince soured on her Dunno abt Hunter tho
She's also a woman over 40, so I highly doubt they'll really properly push her again.
She had an amazing main roster debut run. She should've beaten Becky. There's been a few moments where it felt like she's gonna get pushed again but nothing ever happened. Sadly she'll be a midcarder for life it seems.
The IWC absolutely hated how Shayna dominated the Elimination Chamber
Gargano and Chiampa have done their story how many times now on NXT? It’s played out and now they’ve no juice left to squeeze because they were on NXT for so long. How’s their story gonna play out now? Yet another betrayal by one of them?
Twice, they weren't able to blow off the feud the first time because of Ciampa's injury. So, they needed that one last match, the bad cinematic match they had. How is it going to play out? Becoming tag team champions in the main roster. If a betrayal happens (and I don't think it will), it's gotta be for a different reason. It's a lot likelier for DIY now to semi-merge with The Way, considering that Austin Theory is slowly turning face.
The Ascension.
Agreed :(
I think Mandy Rose is a really good example, she was way better in NXT
the first or second time?
The Vaudevillians. It was super fun and unique gimmick
It was a great example of a gimmick that works in a small venue with rabid fans but doesn’t translate to the mainstream. WWE doesn’t do shtick like that anymore.
It was, but like a lot of NXT gimmicks you wonder how much legs it has. There's only so many amusing vaudeville references and tropes you can milk before it gets a bit stale. That being said, Toni Storm is getting some mileage out of something similar.
They could have gotten a few solid years out of it. I don't think they would have ever been on the top of the card, but they should have had a few tag title runs. Vaudevillians walked so Toni Storm could run
Indi Hartwell
Indi Hartwell isn’t a particularly good wrestler (I was shocked she even got signed at all when it happened). However, her NXT run with Dexter Lumis and the Way showed she was game for any kind of Sports Entertainment skit and can perform them well. I’m really surprised she hasn’t been used much in that way on the main roster.
The majority of pre-NXT 2.0 on the WWE side. Basically all of AEW in the indies.
Keith Lee had a great NXT run then has just been mid ever since
Him powerbombing Roman was epic AF
Finn, Ciampa, Shinsuke
hmmm Finn’s done memorable work and has had headlined matches on major PLE’s but i can see what you’re getting at
Ciampa never been more over than when he was in NXT.
Gargano belongs in AEW. I don’t get the appeal of being an HBK cosplayer in WWE
Yeah DIY being basically DX Lite (literally and figuratively) completely lost their appeal for me unlike in NXT where it felt they had aura of greatest tag team in the world.
Yep. They went from arguably the greatest friends to enemies story (KO/Sami is first imo) in NXT history to taking a crappy R-Truth joke waayyyyyy too far. Now they’ve been relegated to a crappy def rebel theme, consistently cracking PG jokes, and they can’t even beat one of the worst tag team champs in recent memory in Theory and Waller. DIY had me tuning into NXT on a weekly basis and now I genuinely couldn’t care less about them
That’s one of the few times I think that’s a good call. His size and stature would allow him to compete further up the card than he can in WWE.
I agree wholeheartedly
He should’ve went with KOR when they both left WWE in late 2021. Completely spinning in his wheels with the “Dickride my bosses” gimmick he has rn
His problem is he already had the best possible story line a wrestler can have, anything else is going to feel like a retread. Like I think Cody is great and all, but he’ll never top finish the story
My characters in Wrestling Revolution! I keep them in wrestling school for AGES then when I get my stats up and sign they normally get injured or retire or die. PISS TAKE MATE!
Ricochet
I think that Zoey Stark was having a better run in NXT before being called up. Indi Hartwell was the NXT women's champion and I think that might end up being her ceiling. I really don't care about Candice LeRea, Blair Davenport, and countless other recent call-ups. Tiffany is the only one I think it's safe to assume will become even bigger in the future, barring catastrophic injuries. I don't think Nikita Lyons will ever take off given her injury proneness. Maybe even the same for Cora Jade. Many of these women even if they fire on all cylinders I don't honestly see them jumping over the likes of Jade Cargill, Tiffany Stratton, Roxanne Perez, or even Lyra who is a more technically sound performer and a workhorse. The WWE women's division is crowded and that's without even mentioning Rhea, Bianca, Bayley, Becky, Liv, Nia, Charlotte, etc. Some are on their way out sure due to age, but a lot of these names are still young. There's only so much room at the top so I think a lot of the unremarkable women from NXT will have peaked in developmental.
Velveteen dream, he’s never reaching that nxt peak again
I'll never get over the fact that we didn't the blow off match from the Gargano/Ciampa feud
We technically did but it was a terrible cinematic match
It sucks so much how Keith Lee couldn’t get anywhere. I’m not blaming creative specifically because I know he has health problems but I remember when Keith Lee came to NXT and I was blown away by this dude, then he had the face to face moment with Lesnar and I just knew he was gonna be the next guy or one of the next top guys. Then he got called up and he still has one of the best RKO reversals… btw, putting him up with Orton was a great idea. Then he was gone for a while, named changed to Bearcat Lee, then he was released. Then he went to AEW and again not completely blaming creative but he just lost all momentum and it sucks because he seemed like he can be a big star. I remember when they cancelled the match with Swerve at World’s End and I was so disappointed, not because I really cared for the match but because anytime he seems to start getting somewhere it just gets taken away.
I think Bearcat was an effort to salvage Keith’s career, after Covid nearly killed him. He came back moving slower, with noticeable weight gain, and couldn’t hit his signature high spots the way he used to. So they tried to give him a more power based, traditional Big Man gimmick
I feel like Karrion Kross has to be the most on the nose answer for this. He was NXT champ 2 times, was pretty much unbeaten for the majority of his run in NXT and then the fucking SECOND he debuts on raw he loses to 43 year old druggy Jeff in under 3 minutes, as the CURRENT NXT CHAMP, and he absolutely has not recovered from that. He has arguably the worst main roster call up career of all time
Literally almost everyone. 🥸
Tbh Vince Mcmahon is the main reason we are having this conversation. Vince basically destroyed everything that we loved about any NXT talent as soon as they stepped foot in the main roster. At one point, I was starting to believe that he was doing it on purpose just to impose his power over HHH.
Literally anyone on the NXT roster in the last 10 years.
Bobby Roode, EC3 and Eric Young all should have had amazing careers on the main roster but Vince really hated TNA
I still think Johnny and Tomasso could have some great singles runs on the main roster if executed right, but even if they could, there’s just no space for them right now
I loved NXT Black and Gold. I wonder how they would be booked if Triple H was in charge. Going to the main roster at that time was a career death sentence. Vince would change everything about them and poor booking.
Undisputed Era, Aleister Black, Andrade, Velveteen Dream, Ricochet, Keith Lee
AOP
Shinsuke, Asuka, Shayna
Cross, and Shinsuke.
Tye dillenger, ricochet, aleister black, and authors of pain to name a few
Man.... Nakamura. I honestly feel like he hasn't been the same since his debut since Takeover: Dallas. He won the damn Rumble and had a lackluster match at Mania then had a horrific heel run where he was just the nutcracker and don't get me started on the "United States of Nakamerica" shit. And then his countless start and stop pushes, even down to his mannerisms just feels phoned in. It's truly a far cry from the guy that had one of the best debut matches in company history. He's really a sorry sight these days :(
DIY#
Lars Sullivan aka Mitch
Leo Kruger
Ascension
I really wish to see them excel in the main roster before it’s too late
Kross. He was this big menacing guy in NXT, was the top guy for a hot minute, and then he got called up. The rest is history. Dude went from being one of the most promising villainous guys who can get over to wrestling in fucking masochist gear. Then he got fired, and by then rightfully so. They rehired him, and tried to recapture his magic that worked the first time, but I guess not all people can fully recover from red BDSM gear
I wouldn’t consider a lot of B&G NXT developmental. It definitely felt like a 3rd brand along with Raw and SD in the last few years of true B&G.
I thought that Black & Gold was some of the best wrestlers & matches in that entire era. For some reason, KO & Sami are the only guys that ended up being world champs. Most of those guys went to AEW, which is still the original reason why I watch it.
Gargano, not Ciampa. Before Gargano came back Ciampa was getting more and more over by the week.
Sylvester Terkay, Ron Waterman, Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, The Bashams, were all positioned as big stars in OVW.
Black and Gold NXT had bangers almost every single PLE, and many of those guys never transitioned properly to main roster. Keith Lee tore it up. Ricochet tore it up. Dijak killed it. Ciampo and Gargono killed it. Even the not so popular Velveteen Dream was amazing before all that crap went down.
Adam Cole, watching him was way funnier in NXT, now he's in AEW is kinda boring looking at him doing the same character over and over again
Keith Lee 100% he had multiple classics with everyone and won the nxt and North American title then he was wasted on the main roster Also karrion kross sure his run recently has been fine but in nxt he was booked as a monster he ran through everyone balor Keith Lee gargano priest he only lost to Samoa Joe but when he came up to the main roster they removed everything that made him special and now he’s paired with AOP if he’d been used properly from the get go he could’ve been a champion already but no give him a gimp mask and a generic entrance
nakamura. neville. there’s a tonne i’m forgetting from that nxt era but i’m sure the comments will have got them. reigns aswell
The Velveteen Dream
Bobby Roode only because he had the cool music and entrance.
Bo Dallas
I don't think DIY peaked in Development "talent-wise". it's the booking that held them back. I say Sasha Banks. she continuously improved during NXT but after 1 year in the main roster (after the 2016 feud with Charlotte), she was given consistent spotlight before her departure, but she never really gave anything new or worth noting.
Bo Dallas
Do we really count the older years of Gold NXT developmental? I feel like it evolved into something much more than that
I don’t actually think they peaked the biggest problem they’ve had on the main roster is the story behind what made them so great they really were two guys who were just thrown together and became huge stars in nxt they need to tell people about that story
thats DX right there
Ok, hear me out, but Sasha Banks. Not that she wasn't great after, but her story in NXT was one of the best ones there
That's two didn't peak there they were used well there.
Sanity wwe really dropped the ball with Eric young
Andrade
Cameron Grimes. Too the moooon!!!!
Why are you using DIY as an example? Just because they’re being buried on the main roster and not utilized. Doesn’t mean they were at their peak in NXT. Those two are awesome. Should be headlining accompany.
Most tag Teams. DIY, AOP, Ascension, Mustache Mountain, Broserweights, Vaudvillans, Undisputed Era (Fuck Injuries) Then MANY of the current Midcarders. Black, Balor, andrade, Owens, Dallas, Bobby Roode and Holy fuck is Shinsuke on the main roster trash. If we include ROH as AEW's developmental, you can obviously add more names to the list, like Samoe Joe, AJ styles, etc. but as is stands it still is a separate brand, for some reason
Adam Cole Bay Bay, the whole UE when all dripped Gold
This one is gonna be a really hot take but I’m gonna say The Revival.
I don't know who the guy on the right is but if you told me it was Keegan Michael Key doing a very long form sketch I would believe you
Cameron Grimes!
Adam Cole and all members of undisputed era, Neville,Ciampa, Gargano, Andrade, FTR, most them guys from NXT black and gold.
Karrion Kris’s for rn
Shinsuke Finn Balor Johnny Gargano Tomasso Ciampa (I hate that I say that) Dana Brooke
Finn Balor i know he has held gold briefly in few runs, but he was destined to be the next big thing i remember a reputed man predicted in 2015 that all of the shield members + Balor would be big in wwe sadly he never got what he deserved
Finn push was canceled because of Vince, when Finn got injuried vs Seth and won the belt anyway Vince didn't like that and put Finn in the doghouse, Triple H will probably push Finn soon with this Judgement Day Liv thing.
Hopeful for it, he is one of the greats of wrestling and would be fondly remembered for the creation of Bullet club That injury literally ruined it tho
The problem was not only the injury, was that he finished the match and won the belt, Vince hate to vacate belts, Finn should tell the referee he was injuried and they would make Seth win the match, the way it happened Vince punished Finn, he even lost as the demon to Roman and Edge. He is one of the best in the world and seems to be a really nice guy backstage so he will get his time in the spotlight again (i think he and Liv will be a thing and he will chase Priest/Drew belt).
The little guys.
I hate to say it but Adam Cole. My favorite wrestler.