Current NXT Roster

[Loss]

I still don't understand what happened with Adam Rose. They did a great job hyping his debut, then they decided he wasn't over at all after only one appearance where I don't even know what they expected as far as reaction. And since then, he's been on a downward spiral. He's not a great talent or anything, but he had a catchy gimmick that could have given him a decent run.

[(BP)]

I'm happy Rose made it onto the Mania card because his entrance could be fun. He might've had a better shot as Leo Kruger, but even then his best-case scenario was probably a short program to keep Cena busy before being slid down to pretty much where he is now.

[The Chief]

I'm pretty high on Rose. He's not terrible and there's totally a Godfather role on the card somewhere for a guy like him. But I'm also pulling for Bull Dempsey, so what do I know.

[dawho5]

My question is whether most of the NXT talent, ready or not, fits on the regular roster. How many are going to reach even the current position of Daniel Bryan? That was something that was forced on Vince and I wonder if maybe all that talent being left in NXT isn't because Bryan had such a successful run and had to be put in his place. Most of the NXT roster aren't going to fly with the WWE's definition of how a big time star looks and wrestles. So at best it seems like they'd be doomed to be in the mess of misfit midcard guys who get 7 or 8 minutes to put on a match and some cartoonish character. Occasionally they'd wrestle a big guy like a Ryback or Sheamus or Barrett and look good before getting put down. And they'd be in endless feuds with the rest of the midcard that go nowhere. The WWE did that with a guy who is way more in their mold like Big E, so why would they elevate somebody like Neville at less than 200 lbs. any higher? You'd see Zayn putting over the next big man heel over and over again while being touted as a "tough kid with heart". And I agree that all these wrestlers want to be on the main roster and make more money. Money they rightly deserve for working hard and being good at what they do. It's just frustrating as a fan to see what is happening because Vince doesn't have competition.

 

If they did turn it into a touring brand, would they up the money these guys got and give them the respect they deserve for what they do? I highly doubt the second would ever be true given the WWE's history. But maybe somebody in the WWE will see that by giving these guys and the different style it's due they can put this over as their own competition. Where they would be creating their own indy, but with financial backing and national exposure that could actually draw money. I know these guys were all looking to be WWE Superstars coming in, but is it possible they could be convinced to be the alternative with good enough paydays? Could the touring group make money with all these name guys getting paid their worth given the right backing and promotion by the WWE? If the WWE thinks the answer to those questions are yes, there is the possibility that they could try to drive the indies out of business. And Daniel Bryan would be the perfect guy to headline that kind of thing.

[funkdoc]

I still don't understand what happened with Adam Rose. They did a great job hyping his debut, then they decided he wasn't over at all after only one appearance where I don't even know what they expected as far as reaction. And since then, he's been on a downward spiral. He's not a great talent or anything, but he had a catchy gimmick that could have given him a decent run.

 

political casualty of the HHH-kevin dunn feuding. same with bo, emma, the ascension (even if they would've gotten buried on their own merits), et al.

 

i'm also with goodear here. the fact that WWE won't find a use for adam rose or the vaudevillains is an indictment of them, not of those gimmicks. i will repeat what i have said on here multiple times: WWE needs to be *more* lighthearted than it currently is if it wants to generate more buzz. i know plenty of "millenials" or "hipsters" or whatever equally meaningless term you want to use, and you know which gimmick got some of them interested in wrestling again? The Funkasaurus. of course, they eventually got bored once they realized he was just doing the same shit every week, and the rest of the show didn't appeal to them.

 

tl;dr - a lot of the NXT gimmicks should be helping a forward-thinking promotion to draw in new fans from this generation, but that's not going to happen in WWE proper because of the awful creative and general presentation. oh and cena doesn't help, either - he is the antithesis of cool to 20/30-somethings.

[El-P]

WWE doesn't really *need* to have a cool 20/30 audience. They would do just fine with kids and middle-class families. If anything, the product is already way too light-hearted, and with godawful comedy to boot. The Funkasaurus would have been a cool gimmick for a guy like, say, Scorpio, who could actually work. Just a shame they didn't realized that in 1996.

I still don't know what the hell Adam Rose was all about, really. I guess I'm too old (pushing 40 soon). Or maybe the gimmick was just stupid. But anyway, it's neither here nor there, the fact is they give up with everyone, be it on the midcard or on the main event scene. Remember Fandango debuting at Mania against Jericho ? Yeah, me neither.

[S.L.L.]

i'm also with goodear here. the fact that WWE won't find a use for adam rose or the vaudevillains is an indictment of them, not of those gimmicks. i will repeat what i have said on here multiple times: WWE needs to be *more* lighthearted than it currently is if it wants to generate more buzz. i know plenty of "millenials" or "hipsters" or whatever equally meaningless term you want to use, and you know which gimmick got some of them interested in wrestling again? The Funkasaurus. of course, they eventually got bored once they realized he was just doing the same shit every week, and the rest of the show didn't appeal to them.

 

tl;dr - a lot of the NXT gimmicks should be helping a forward-thinking promotion to draw in new fans from this generation, but that's not going to happen in WWE proper because of the awful creative and general presentation. oh and cena doesn't help, either - he is the antithesis of cool to 20/30-somethings.

Man, my lapsed-fan brother loved the Funkasaurus. He was heartbroken when they basically just gave up on him.

 

Hell, one of the most consistently hot acts in the company in the last decade was Santino Marella. Comedy is a tool just like any other tool in wrestling, and it can be used well or used poorly depending on the user and/or the situation. Why not give a shot to those who can do it well? I'm not saying The Vaudevillains need to be headlining PPVs. I'm not even saying they're necessarily ready to be brought up to the main show now. But the idea that their gimmick inherently disqualifies them from consideration, and that we should only be focused on more serious wrestlers like Finn Balor, strikes me as sillier than the Vaudevillians' gimmick itself is.

 

After all, it's not like there's anything silly about Finn Balor.

[El-P]

What was good/fun about the Funkasaurus ? I mean really ? Apart from the two hot dancing chicks ? It was basically Rikishi 2.0, only with a shitty worker who borrowed the catchphrase from Ernest Miller, who was way better on about every level.

[funkdoc]

What was good/fun about the Funkasaurus ? I mean really ? Apart from the two hot dancing chicks ? It was basically Rikishi 2.0, only with a shitty worker who borrowed the catchphrase from Ernest Miller, who was way better on about every level.

 

it was sheer unabashed silliness on a show full of boring serious gymbros. context was relevant here, like how goldberg not talking made him seem that much cooler given the rest of '98 WCW. and most of the fans i'm referring to wouldn't have remembered ernest miller.

 

also, i notice that the majority of people here criticizing my viewpoint tend to be outside the US. not sure if things are different in france or the UK...but in american pop culture right now there is a pretty strong backlash against taking anything seriously. fun and "ironic" enjoyment rule the day with a lot of younger folks here, and that is absolutely something wrestling could play to if they understood this or cared.

[Badlittlekitten]

Oi, don't be lumping us Brits with the bloody French, pal.

[(BP)]

The Funkasaurus debut was so surreally silly and fun after the serious promos and build for Brodus's return that I loved it. However, I thought it was going to be some kind of meta storyline where Johnny Ace is forcing him to perform as this character and he'd eventually break free and turn into a monster face. It just sort of petered out. I was happy for Brodus, because that's a gimmick he can make money with on the indies way after his body gives out. Plus, choreographed dancing mamas at Mania was such a non sequitur for the casuals I watched it with that they laughed their asses off.

[El-P]

also, i notice that the majority of people here criticizing my viewpoint tend to be outside the US. not sure if things are different in france or the UK...but in american pop culture right now there is a pretty strong backlash against taking anything seriously. fun and "ironic" enjoyment rule the day with a lot of younger folks here, and that is absolutely something wrestling could play to if they understood this or cared.

 

 

The point is, pro-wrestling and ironic enjoyment don't go hand in hand. There's nothing worse than the product doing wink-wink to its audience in pro-wrestling. And it's not new either, ECW used to do that at points. Russo's WCW was doing that all the time. It just doesn't work.

 

Comedy has a place in pro-wrestling, in small doses. But cattering to an audience who doesn't take anything seriously is just a no-no. The beauty of pro-wrestling is making you believe into something that you know is fake. Ironic pro-wrestling is about the worst thing imaginable to me. And we're indeed getting closer and closer actually with WWE getting all meta and shit and trolling its audience instead of trying to produce something good.

[broke]

I'll just throw in my own comments into the pile here

 

READY TO GO

Adrian Neville - Yes

Finn Balor - Yes

Kevin Owens - Yes

Sami Zayn - Definite yes

Solomon Crowe - Eventually... Crowd is into the character and he can work, but hasn't really shown much in NXT yet. Once they establish some solid direction for him he should start to click a bit better. I think he had a fairly bad injury right after signing his contract.

Tyler Breeze - Definitely - though I fear he'll get stuck as Fandango 2.0

Becky Lynch - Eventually - wish they kept her in the plaid

Charlotte - Probably right after WM.

Sasha Banks - should be right behind Charlotte - it's crazy how good Sasha has gotten in the ring and she's probably one of my 2 favourite NXT heels.

Bayley- Eventually. The 4 way at the last big show was the best she has looked. Really all 4 of the above women are light years ahead of the current main roster diva's save for Paige and AJ.

 

 

 

NOT READY .

Aiden English - Could be a Cesaro brother. I think he will eventually make it as he;s a good worker, but probably not as the Vaudevillians tag team, which I really like. Not sure their style would get over with the fans of the big roster.

Baron Corbin - Will probably get the NXT title at some point and get called up despite being overexposed. The fan backlash is already starting against him in NXT.

Blake & Murphy - I like both guys, but need to see more from them.

Bull Dempsey - I like Bull, but with Owens there his days are probably numbered.

CJ Parker - I HATED CJ beforehand, but am coming around on him. Either seems to hurt someone or get hurt every time he's in the ring though as of late. Would make a good job guy to the main roster.

Hideo Itami - Amazing how much quicker Finn has taken to NXT style than Itami. I figure he gets called up eventually.

Kalisto - Could get called up eventually. Like him far better than Sin Cara

Mojo Rawley - Has a long way to go, and the "Stay Hyped" character sucked.

Simon Gotch - I like him, but Aiden has a far better chance of making it on the roster than Gotch does.

Sin Cara - Seems no matter who wears the mask they botch moves.

Sylvester LeFort - Good on the mic, never cared for him in the ring. I have him and Mojo as most likely to get future endeavored.

 

 

 

NEVER SEEN

Angelo Dawkins - Doing a shooter gimmick after being saddled with an 80's hip-hop character. Good athlete, just nothing that really distinguishes him from anyone else

Cal Bishop - Haven't seen enough of him

Colin Cassady - I expect him to get called up eventually, Good look and size.

Dash Wilder - Haven't seen enough

Enzo Amore - Love him on the mic, even though he's just recycling the same lines over and over. Hope he gets the call up with Cass as his mouthpiece

Jason Jordan - Not bad from what I've seen so far. Not established enough to make a call on him.

Marcus Louis - Great scary look with the shaved head, not much else about him stands out right now.

Sawyer Fulton - Haven't seen enough

Scott Dawson - Was getting a minor push a while back then vanished.

Tye Dillinger - Has a good look, haven't actually seen him do much more than basics while getting squashed.

 

 

 

WOMEN - I don't know who they are
Alexa Bliss - Needs some seasoning, but she'll get called up eventually. Actually pulls off the lucha roll-ups better than Sin Cara

Carmella - Hateable, which means she's doing her job character-wise. Needs work in the ring.

Dana Brooke Haven't seen enough

 

To add, Chad Gable I could see eventually being called up after establishing himself a bit more in NXT.

[jcmmnx]

Sasha is probably my favorite worker in WWE. I'm dreading what they'll do with her on the main roster.

[sek69]

I'm guessing the only hope the NXT women have is if the next post Wrestlemania talent purge consists of all the main roster divas other than Nattie/Paige/AJ/Bellas.

 

On a somewhat related note, is Total Divas done after this current season? It seems that show is the main (only?) reason that the women who can't wrestle out of a paper bag are being kept on the roster.

[C.S.]

On a somewhat related note, is Total Divas done after this current season? It seems that show is the main (only?) reason that the women who can't wrestle out of a paper bag are being kept on the roster.

 

I doubt it, since the season ended on a "cliffhanger" (lol) with the Bellas not wanting to sign their new contracts + Eva Marie and her husband having marital problems.

[BillThompson]

I'm guessing the only hope the NXT women have is if the next post Wrestlemania talent purge consists of all the main roster divas other than Nattie/Paige/AJ/Bellas.

 

 

There's no reason to boot two very talented women like Emma and Alicia Fox to the curb; just book them better.

[dawho5]

I just caught up to current on NXT so I thought I'd run down the current roster as of mid-June.

 

Women

 

Dana Brooke - She is a complete waste of resources at this point. Can barely work and is being pushed harder than women who can. She belongs on the main roster working two minute piss break matches. I hope she gets called up after her feud with Charlotte.

 

Blue Pants - She's over in Florida and seems decent enough in the one match that goes longer than two minutes. She deserves a name and a shot at the very least. If it doesn't work out on tour keep her in the studio as a jobber.

 

Carmella - Good enough at working submissions for where she is at. Decent dropkick and not much else. She seems to have settled on being a babyface so that's something.

 

Alexa Bliss - She has some decent athletic spots and seems to be good at garnering sympathy. So make her a heel and run a program against an opponent that is only good at wrenching in submissions. Seems destined to fail but we'll see.

 

Emma - I wasn't sure how well she would do as a heel and the jury is still out. She's working against Bayley which makes it way easier on her. But it seems good enough for now. Shes' got some good vicious submissions and seems to have changed things up well enough.

 

Bayley - Bayley is not a great pro wrestler yet. She's very good and an incredible natural babyface. And she can make people less experienced look much better in the ring. As well as being one of my personal favorites in NXT. I'm a big Kikuchi fan, I love Kobashi in his early fiery babyface period and am a sucker for a good face-in-peril segment in a match. So Bayley is fucking awesome.

 

Charlotte - I like Charlotte as the asskicker babyface. She's athletic enough to pull off a lot of cool stuff and big enough to seem naturally stronger than her opponents. She needs a lot of polish going forward. Her feud with Dana seems like a disaster before it starts because it depends on Charlotte for any kind of structure or guidance.

 

Becky Lynch - Becky in the ring is flat-out awesome. Her character "change" to a more steampunk-themed gimmick is more of a direction but still seems to samey compared to what she was. I want her to do well because she's got the goods.

 

Sasha Banks - #1 heel in the company and an incredible worker. She talks, acts and wrestles her gimmick. Absolutely one of my favorite wrestlers working right now. I said I loved a good face-in-peril and that has two sides to it. Good heel work is also necessary and Sasha brings that in spades.

 

Men

 

Jobbers - Jason Jordan needs a real push. Angelo Dawkins should get more than he does for sure. The rest need plenty more work.

 

Mojo Rawley - He seems a little better than he was as far as execution after one match back. Goofier, but that has more to do with the booking change over the last month. Not sure if I care for Ryder as his new tag partner yet but it may work.

 

Bull Dempsey - Yeah, this new booking is going to kill him dead while he's in NXT. What a waste of months of building a guy up only to job him out for almost as long then have him work the "fat fuck" comedy gimmick. He could have been a Fit Finlay in WCW character in time, but oh well.

 

Enzo/Cass - Please make Enzo a manager before he gets to the main roster. I would beg to have him removed from TV altogether but that's not happening. Cass is the highlight of his group and should be pushed as a singles guy on the midcard.

 

BAM - I thought they were going places when they won the tag titles, but their heel turn has killed the in-ring work. Both have some good spots to work into a match. It just doesn't happen much anymore. The heel turn has given them more in terms of character though, so it's a toss-up. They need lots of work and this current feud is pretty dreadful on all counts.

 

Vaudevillains - THANK GOD they came back. I love this gimmick and how much it's improved English's in-ring work. Just cheesy midcard fun at it's best with some decent to good in-ring action to go with it.

 

Rhyno - Please leave. Please. But he won't because they need him for main events.

 

Baron Corbin - The fans are turning on him. He isn't good enough to work longer matches, but he's being put into them. At least he's being given time to grow. I don't know if he ever amounts to anything other than WWF midcard big guy.

 

Tyler Breeze - He seems to have been downgraded recently. I love his work as he stays in character well in matches and interviews. He's not the most amazingly stiff or believable worker but he's believable enough and it actually fits his gimmick. I always like seeing him come out because I know it won't be bad.

 

Finn Balor - The entrance I can do without forever. His work is not bad, but he's missing something in-ring for me that I can't describe. I like his finisher and his gimmick seems to be getting over. I don't see him as champ at all yet though. He usually puts on entertaining matches without a lot of the undercard hitches, so I'll take him over most.

 

Kevin Owens - Great heel and dominant in every way. I don't want to see him go to the main show before we get a big Owens/Joe match and the Zayn revenge match. Loving Owens so far both as a character and in-ring.

 

Injured

 

Hideo Itami - He started getting some momentum and direction going before his injury. Not a huge fan of his finish. He's so much better in NXT than he was 95% of the time in NOAH due to the restraints. I want to see more of him in NXT for a while.

 

Sami Zayn - Easily the best babyface in NXT, perhaps company-wide. I love everything about his last 5 or 6 months. He can't come back soon enough.

 

Moved to Main Roster

 

Neville - Sorely missed. Great worker by the time he left NXT.

 

Kidd - Man, I loved his heel run in NXT. He is incredible.

 

Kalisto - Great spot machine/good sympathy guy. He was fun.

 

Sin Cara - Didn't seem overly interested while he was in NXT. Not at all missed.

 

Titus - Stay away forever.

 

Brodus Clay - See Titus.

[sek69]

I don't get the Titus hate, he has great charisma and even though he's not the greatest in ring worker, he's not like a male version of Tamina out there.

[Lee]

Based off TV this week, I thought Ryder looked a lot more suited to NXT than he did to the main roster. Conversely to that, based on the Prime Time Players and on his last run with Sami Zayn, Titus is way more equipped to be a main roster guy and just doesn't suit NXT at all, especially not with the influx of quality Japanese/indy workers.

[dawho5]

I don't disagree completely on Ryder. I just hate the gimmick and never really liked the Mojo gimmick or Mojo in general. So I can't see liking the team at all.

[The Chief]

I know NXT has morphed into a this super indy promotion, but at heart it is still a developmental territory. So I don't really get why people want them to cut someone like a Dana Brook. She has literally no experience, that's why she's there, to learn. It is very rare for anyone to be ready for TV with only a few months under their belt. If she sucks in three years, that's a different story.

[Mad Dog]

I've seen Blake and Murphy live twice now and they just have no charisma. Okay inring but they bored the shit out of me both times.

[dawho5]

I think it's opposite for the women though. You put the women who can work in NXT and throw the eye candy on the main show.

[BillThompson]

I don't get the Titus hate, he has great charisma and even though he's not the greatest in ring worker, he's not like a male version of Tamina out there.

 

I'd argue he is a great in-ring worker, one of the best in the WWE currently.