Current NXT Roster

[goodhelmet]

This is a companion thread to the Success Stories thread and NXT Future thread. I went to the WWE website and typed out the roster they have featured on the website.

 

I separated guys into a few categories. Help me figure out this roster.

 

 

READY TO GO - all of these guys could go toe to toe on the main roster if called up tomorrow. Size issues means they would all probably have mediocre runs but not because they can't go. If you are going to an NXT house show, this is who you are going to see. For the divas, I have no hopes they would do any better than Emma or Paige but they aren't bad from what I have seen. I put Crowe in here because he was the best indy wrestler around just 2 years ago.

Adrian Neville

Finn Balor

Kevin Owens

Sami Zayn

Solomon Crowe

Tyler Breeze

Becky Lynch

Charlotte

Sasha Banks

Bayley

 

 

NOT READY - None of these guys have impressed me on any of the NXT specials unless I forgot one of them which means they aren't memorable. Some like Sin Cara outright suck and someone like Itami should be ready but I haven't seen the killer NXT performance yet like I have with the other guys.

Aiden English

Baron Corbin

Blake & Murphy

Bull Dempsey

CJ Parker

Hideo Itami

Kalisto

Mojo Rawley

Simon Gotch

Sin Cara

Sylvester LeFort

 

NEVER SEEN

Angelo Dawkins

Cal Bishop

Colin Cassady

Dash Wilder

Enzo Amore

Jason Jordan

Marcus Louis

Sawyer Fulton

Scott Dawson

Tye Dillinger

 

 

WOMEN - I don't know who they are
Alexa Bliss

Carmella

Dana Brooke

 

 

OLD GUYS

Alex Riley

Brian Kendrick

Rhino

[Matt D]

I don't get the point of watching the NXT Specials and not the tv. The whole point is the build and payoff.

[Steenalized]

Because I only have so much time in the day and don't put a premium on a lot of NXT's week to week stuff. I also watch the NXT specials after the fact, a day or two later so I know what matches were must see, should see, or skippable.

[Matt D]

No, I get it, and I get that the matches have buzz and its a facet of our community to watch things with buzz, but so much of what makes NXT special is that it's a studio show built not necessarily for touring but just for TV and the payoffs at the special. It's one hour a week which gets a quarter of a year to build to something. If you're just going to pick and choose after the fact, that is what it is.

 

For the purpose of this note, I don't think that you can judge how ready someone is to be called up or not from the specials alone without seeing how they handle shorter TV matches, for instance.

 

I just don't think there's much point to following NXT at all if you're not going to watch the TV. Even binging it the week before the big shows works really well. Otherwise, it's like skipping to the last chapter of a book and then complaining you don't know who the characters are.

[Mad Dog]

I disagree on the Vaudevillians. They don't give you amazing matches but they are an extremely sound heel tag team. They do a lot of the small things really well, they know how to get booed and they work a style that fits in with most other styles.

[Matt D]

I disagree on the Vaudevillians. They don't give you amazing matches but they are an extremely sound heel tag team. They do a lot of the small things really well, they know how to get booed and they work a style that fits in with most other styles.

 

I don't blame the placement. You wouldn't really know that without watching the TV.

[fakeplastictrees]

I would have to put Becky Lynch in the 'not ready' category. She is there in the ring, but her character and promo work are cringeworthy. Good wrestlers can take bad gimmicks and make them work. Becky's gimmick isn't as extreme as say a Goldust or even Rikishi in a thong, so her finding her way should be 'easier'. Hopefully she can figure it out and tone down some aspects of her gimmick that just come off as hammy and counterproductive as it doesn't produce 'boo' heat but rather 'this is lame' heat.

[Goodear]

In no way is Solomon Crowe ready to be on the main roster based on what he's produced on NXT television. His character work is actively bad with it basically explaining why the heck he has been in development this long without making tape. Granted he's only 2 in ring appearances in but the beat down on CJ Parker was anemic and the match with Bull Dempsey came off like a enhancement match where the jobber went over, he was so unimpressive.

[Downend2005]

I'd be tempted to add another column titled 'won't ever get to the main roster', and in it I'd put the following people...

 

CJ Parker, Marcus Louis, Sylvester Lefort, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Tye Dillinger

 

Parker is used as enhancement talent and was used more recently to put over Alex Riley on tv. I can't see him turning that perception around.

Lefort hasn't been seen at all since he lost a hair vs hair match with Enzo Amore, which ended up with Louis getting shaved bald. Plus, he's been presented as an ultra jobber. the only way he gets onto the main roster is as a manager.

It looked as if Louis was going to be doing something with Tyler Breeze (at least it was hinted at), but Breeze has moved on and has been feuding with Itami. He's ultra bland too, so I can't see him ever being in a position for a call up.

Dawson and Wilder (The Mechanics) are solid, but can't see them translating well on television. Maybe the best they could hope for is a C-show spot. If you consider that WWE were fairly high on the Ascension, who have been buried since their call up, I wouldn't hold out much hope for these guys.

And Dillinger has been in the system before, on tv for a cup of coffee as Gavin Spears in ECW before being released, and now back to developmental. Much like Parker, I think he's stuck in the role of enhancing who they truly want to develop.

 

I generally agree with your other lists, although I have a hard time again picturing people like Bull Dempsey and Mojo Rawley on the main show, although that's purely down to look (Dempsey) and talent (Mojo) reasons. I'd also say that Solomon Crowe and Becky Lynch need a fair bit of work from a presentation standpoint despite their reps previously.

 

I would probably just about add Kalisto to your 'ready' list, and think he could get over quickly if he dropped Sin Cara and got the call as a single, although he wouldn't be one to be high up the card. I also think Enzo and Cass might do well as a team, and has an act that could get some play on the main roster. Alexa Bliss also has good potential, but she would benefit from more experience too.

[Goodear]

READY TO GO

I'm not really going to go into these because 'ready to go' is pretty self evident.

Adrian Neville

Sami Zayn

Tyler Breeze

Kalisto

Charlotte

Sasha Banks

Bayley

NEED FINAL TOUCHES

Kevin Owens - Needs to show he can survive without the super push behind him where no one has gotten over on him yet. I just want to make sure he can show some ass effectively without messing up the aura he has right now. He's kind of run roughshod on NXT so far and he's not going to do that on the main roster. He's also been around for only 4 months or so and worked Neville and Zayn exclusively. I'm looking forward to the work with Riley to see how he does with a lesser talent.

Finn Balor - Needs some character work. Needs some character beyond "paints himself for the big shows" because we have no idea who Balor is at this point even a little.

Hideo Itami - Would really like to see him get a finish over as he has a lot of the other things he needs to succeed. A little more character work wouldn't hurt but he's a better character than Balor at this point.

Enzo & Big Cass - Want to see them develop some more in ring stuff since their key offense is Cass throwing Enzo into stuff. Cass won't be so much bigger than everyone else on the main roster so they need to bridge that disparity. But the character stuff is all there and ready to go.

Becky Lynch - Agree with fakeplastictrees that Beck Beck needs more character pieces. I actually like Corey Graves calling her a fake Hot Topic music fan and I think she should try to work more of that into the act.

NEED HEAVY DEVELOPMENT

Solomon Crowe - Character work is awful. Awful.

Baron Corbin - I like Corbin as a big guy but he's actually a little too fast to be working Giant. Now that the 30 seconds or less gimmick is kind of dead, he needs a direction stat.

Aiden English & Simon Gotch - They need a more developed style as they seem to be bouncing from thing to thing in the ring. They really need some mid match spots.

Blake & Murphy - Need a hook to the characters and I'm hoping they will toss Carmella into the production as she's a natural heel and a turn on Enzo & Cass will get them some major heat in NXT. A replay of the Woman-Rick Steiner angle would be appropriate right here.

Mojo Rawley - LONNNNNG term development. Good size and build for wrestling but his character is bad and his finish is worse. Needs tons of work but could get there.

Carmella - Again, I think a tun and joining BAM will help her out. Great finish.

Alexa Bliss - Needs to cut down botches and awkward spots.

HIT CEILING BELOW MAIN ROSTER - I don't see these guys advancing at this time past were they are. Dempsey and Parker are actually effective in their roles and could get bigger but I don't see that happening. I actually think Parker would be good in a managerial role or as a guy hiding behind a bigger partner (like a reverse Enzo) and Dempsey plays a good gatekeeper but would be better off gaining 50 lbs. LeFort & Dillenger aren't going anywhere and are enhancement talent for new guys.

Bull Dempsey

CJ Parker

Sylvester LeFort

Tye Dillenger

UNKNOWN

Shoot Nation - this is a group of 6 guys including Dawkins, Jordan, Gable, Fulton who haven't really debuted on TV yet despite Dawkins & Fulton doing a job for BAM two weeks ago. I'm cautiously optimistic with Gable doing well in a squash loss to Breeze about a month ago.

Dawkins & Wilder - Heavily underused guys who I don't think are going to break out but they shows up so infrequently that I want to reserve judgment. Dawkins especially has some good character ability.

[Grimmas]

Tye Dillenger used to be so good on the indies here in Ontario. They missed out on a solid hand on the under card.

[Badlittlekitten]

I'm somebody that only watches the specials so this is a genuine question. Do people see Tyler Breeze exceeding Bo Dallas/Xavia Woods undercard nothingness? He was pretty unspectacular last time I saw him in ring and he doesn't have the size or gimmick for a decent push.

[El-P]

I remember the French Stallion being such an awesome asshole in that Lance Storm reality TV stuff. He could get on the main roster tomorrow with the same act and get over, at lthe very east as a manager. The ridiculous Sylvester Lefort name wouldn't help though, unless you'd want this guy's gimmick to be that he comes straight from the 50's or something. (well, of course, they would not let him be himself and overscript everything, so what am I even talking about here…)

[Al]

Baron Corbin seems like a three year project. I don't doubt him necessarily, but it will be interesting to see if a guy can succeed long term whose development has been so exposed.

[Goodear]

If WWE still had managers, Sylvester would have a much better place to go in the company. I really enjoyed his visually slimy role leading Rusev and Dawkins but as a singles? I don't see him going anywhere in that position.

[(BP)]

I'm looking forward to seeing more Chad Gable. I thought the Breeze match showed he has serious potential.

[Goodear]

I'm somebody that only watches the specials so this is a genuine question. Do people see Tyler Breeze exceeding Bo Dallas/Xavia Woods undercard nothingness? He was pretty unspectacular last time I saw him in ring and he doesn't have the size or gimmick for a decent push.

 

Yes if we add the obvious caveat that he's booked properly. Xavier is actually one of the oddest call ups because he wasn't riding any momentum out of NXT and hasn't done anything since. Woods really doesn't have standout attributes or performances to point to as reasons why he will succeed. Breeze has a bunch of matches where he's at the very least hung with good guys and did some great stooging before he moved up the card.

[C.S.]

My thoughts on some of the NXT wrestlers mentioned in this thread:

 

Becky Lynch: WHAT character?! Seriously, what IS her character? She doesn't really have one IMO.

 

CJ Parker: Not sure why he's still a jobber. He always looks good and gets heat, and he actually has a character, unlike some.

 

Bull Dempsey: I like him a lot, but he looks like a male Rosie O'Donnell with his long hair and women's bathing suit tights. He needs to up his presentation considerably.

 

Solomon Crowe: Only saw his debut and wasn't impressed. He looks like a modern-day Blue Meanie, and not in a good way. (I like Meanie.)

 

Tye Dillinger and Jason Jordan: I thought they should have gotten the push Blake and Murphy received.

 

Vaudevillians: Like most NXT tag teams, they haven't really had any classic matches. But their gimmick is great. Can it succeed on the main roster though?

 

Enzo and Cass: Their act would succeed on the main roster right now, but they probably need more ring-time first. Nothing wrong with that. Enzo is still in his rookie year, I believe.

 

Baron Corbin: He has the push, and...that's it. I'm not a fan. Needs another year or two.

 

Hideo Itami: This will be controversial, but he hasn't connected with me at all. I don't know if he's being forced to hold back in the ring, but I find him bland for the most part. He's even worse as a character, but I understand he's still learning English. The only match I've really liked is the one he had with Breeze - not their most recent PPV match, but the one a few weeks earlier. A heel turn might help? But I hate saying that, because it feels like the stereotypical "every foreigner has to be a heel" mindset. Still, Tajiri and Hakushi were both way more over than he is. Yeah, I said it. It's the truth!

[Matt D]

My thoughts on some of the NXT wrestlers mentioned in this thread:

 

Becky Lynch: WHAT character?! Seriously, what IS her character? She doesn't really have one IMO.

 

 

Lita Fan with Muppet mannerisms. For a while there she was like that that dog that always repeated what Spike said in the Looney Toons cartoon for Sasha.

 

 

I was all in on the plucky riverdancing babyface too.

[Steenalized]

Put me in the camp of people who think wrestlers with gimmicks like Breeze, the Vaudevillians, Becky when she was dancing, etc. aren't going to go anywhere on the main roster. Rose and Bo showed as much on the main stage. I generally can't stand those gimmicks and while maybe one of them will randomly get hot for a bit as a midcard act, they seem to churn out more than a few too many.

[Stiva]

Put me in the camp of people who think wrestlers with gimmicks like Breeze, the Vaudevillians, Becky when she was dancing, etc. aren't going to go anywhere on the main roster. Rose and Bo showed as much on the main stage. I generally can't stand those gimmicks and while maybe one of them will randomly get hot for a bit as a midcard act, they seem to churn out more than a few too many.

 

I think Dallas could have worked if they had him do his spiel and actually inspire someone on a losing streak to picking up victories. I'm not a fan of the losing streak gimmick but it could have worked as a midcard act, especially in the tag division, which needed teams around that time with Real Americans and Prime Time Players breaking up. Instead, I can't remember a single angle they ran with him.

 

I agree on Rose though. That gimmick is an entrance, a dive spot with the Rosebuds and not a lot else. With better booking in the midcard and more care taken with them, they could have got some use out of both men though, even if it was throwing Rose with another guy who was hovering around doing nothing and making them a team.

[Seej]

The only two I could genuinely see headlining a WrestleMania in a couple of years are Zayn and Owens. Balor is almost there, but needs some tweaking.

[Tim Evans]

Kalisto is already on the main roster if you count Main event as the main roster. I like the guy but his offense is so awkward and he's too fast for the heels on the main roster to base except for maybe Cesaro and Kidd. I think Itami could be ready for the main roster if they make him a heel. Him as a babyface is YoshiTatsu pt. 2. Enzo's my favorite guy on the NXT roster but he's probably a NXT lifer sadly. Vince and Dunn wouldn't get his gimmick at all. I guess you could say that about a lot of guys.

[fakeplastictrees]

 

Put me in the camp of people who think wrestlers with gimmicks like Breeze, the Vaudevillians, Becky when she was dancing, etc. aren't going to go anywhere on the main roster. Rose and Bo showed as much on the main stage. I generally can't stand those gimmicks and while maybe one of them will randomly get hot for a bit as a midcard act, they seem to churn out more than a few too many.

 

I think Dallas could have worked if they had him do his spiel and actually inspire someone on a losing streak to picking up victories. I'm not a fan of the losing streak gimmick but it could have worked as a midcard act, especially in the tag division, which needed teams around that time with Real Americans and Prime Time Players breaking up. Instead, I can't remember a single angle they ran with him.

 

I agree on Rose though. That gimmick is an entrance, a dive spot with the Rosebuds and not a lot else. With better booking in the midcard and more care taken with them, they could have got some use out of both men though, even if it was throwing Rose with another guy who was hovering around doing nothing and making them a team.

 

 

 

That is what is so frustrating about the mid-card on the main WWE roster. Nothing of note is really happening and there are TONS of people trading wins and just existing. WWE has mid-card characters that stand out and that interesting biographers and stories can be crafted out of. Adam Rose and Bo Dallas are prime examples of both points just made. However, WWE has decided to stop at certain parts of each's gimmick and I am unsure why the development ceased as both were getting over.

[Goodear]

To piggy back off FPTrees, it is my preference to have big characters in the middle of card who can be easily plugged into character based feuds and angles. If you can't write up a feud for a character like Adam Rose in less than 20 seconds, you have some major writing problems. That being said, WWE Prime has major writing problems so I don't know if anyone is going to come up and succeed in that environment. They are terrible at protecting the mid-card and will run anyone into the ground regardless of talent.