It’s day two of my five days of writing for HTC and InsidePulse. What better way to spend my vacation then writing for everyone? I have no problem with it, had nothing planned, so I figured this what fill some time.
And what am I looking at today? Well that would be the NXT Roster. I’ve been reviewing NXT for the last couple of months on HTCWrestling. After watching the shows and going back and looking at some stuff before I started reviewing NXT, I’ve been able to see a lot of what some of these guys have to offer. Some have improved every week while others haven’t seemed to break out.
What I’ll be doing here is evaluating the performance of some NXT stars and give an idea of what a possible WWE career could hold for them. When I bring up a comparison for a certain wrestler, I’m basing that off their career and not their similarities as wrestlers in the ring and such. 
Adrian Neville
-Neville came in to NXT with a heavily hyped background. Before joining NXT, Neville spent time in Dragon Gate where he had a lot of success. Neville only stands at 5’9 but that has not limited him in the ring. He’s best known for his high flying arsenal of moves and his Red Arrow finisher, a corkscrew shooting star press, is an impressive move and looks great every single time he’s hit. Neville had a solid match against Dean Ambrose a couple months ago. I would have loved to see it go another five or ten minutes. Neville has mostly been involved in tag team work on NXT, most recently with Corey Graves. That might be the best way for him to get over when he gets to the WWE.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Jeff Hardy At Worst: Justin Gabriel
-I don’t think Neville will go the route of Justin Gabriel. He’s a better wrestler in the ring and seems to have a bit more charisma then Gabriel. As I said above, it might be best to bring Neville up in a tag team to start off. Allow Neville to get over with the crowd and if they get behind him, he could be the break out star of the team. And if it works out, he could end up getting a push similar to Jeff Hardy where the crowd gets behind him to the point where the WWE has to push him. Neville is one of the better wrestlers in NXT. He has the skills in the ring, but you have to worry if the WWE will look down on him because of his size.
Aiden English
-I love the gimmick English has had. He’s a really good singer and he does the artist gimmick very well. It is the kind of gimmick that is going to draw instant heel heat in the WWE. He hasn’t really wrestled long matches. I was disappointed that his match with Rob Van Dam this past week didn’t go longer, and that he barely got any offense in. English has shown enough in the ring to make me think his future his bright.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Damien Sandow At Full Potential At Worst: Damien Sandow Now
-I was always a big fan of Sandow and thought he had a ton of potential. The MITB World Title win made me think he was on his way. But similar to a handful of past MITB winners, Sandow has lost a lot recently. Despite what the WWE thinks, that hurts the wrestler. English, with the gimmick he has now, is going to get over initially in the WWE. It will be up to them how they handle it. If they think the gimmick is nothing more than a mid-card act, they will treat it as such. If they believe English will take off then they need to get serious and not screw around. English is a solid promo and has shown ability in the ring. I like the outlook for him.
Alexander Rusev
-There’s no doubt that Rusev has the size that the WWE is looking for in their future stars. And for a guy that weighs in the 300 pound region, he is quite agile. With that being said though, he still has some things to work on in the ring. I thought he under performed in his match with Dolph Ziggler. He also dropped Ziggler kind of hard on the apron. He’s adopted Sylvester Lefort as his manager. A mouth piece is needed for his gimmick.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Ryback At Worst: Kamala
-Yes I understand Kamala was a big thing in WCCW, but he wasn’t anything of note in the WWE. That’s a risk the WWE can with Rusev. I think he’s a good worker for a man his size. He’s probably better than Ryback in the ring, so I’m going by a potential push with that comparison. If he reaches his best potential, he could be a guy that flirts with the main event but doesn’t have a sustained run at the top. Rusev is still a bit raw, and I think he will need a different gimmick once he gets to the WWE.
Bo Dallas
-This may be one of the more interesting guys in NXT. Dallas had a sniff of the WWE during the Royal Rumble time period, but he just didn’t get over at all with the crowd. He slowly became the John Cena of NXT. He was a guy the WWE wanted to push but the crowd just didn’t get behind at all. But unlike Cena, Dallas is actually using it as a part of his gimmick. Dallas calls his fans “Bo-Lievers” and to not stop “bo-lieving.” Dallas can work in the ring and is a third generation superstar.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Christian At Worst: Wade Barrett
-Despite being pushed as the main focus on NXT, I just don’t see Bo Dallas transitioning well into the WWE. Sure people will boo him and love to hate him, but he just doesn’t have the look of a top guy. I could see the WWE trying to push him hard in the beginning similar to Wade Barrett, but then losing interest in him and have him fall down to the mid-card. At best I see him becoming a solid mid-card role player that could possibly be relied on when needed.
CJ Parker
-Yeah, this moonchild gimmick just isn’t doing it for me. It isn’t something that is going to translate well into the WWE. You could tell that when the crowd was chanting for Tyler Breeze during their singles match the other day. Add to the fact that he is just average in the ring and the promos he has done so far have been subpar, I just don’t see the current version of CJ Parker doing anything well in the WWE.
WWE Outlook- At Best: R-Truth At Worst: Santino
-If you couldn’t tell already, I don’t have high hopes for CJ Parker in the WWE. If he debuts with his current gimmick, then his chances of success are dead on arrival. At best, he is a stay in the mid-card and maybe gets a run at the Intercontinental or US Title. At worst, he turns into the new comedy version of Santino and is relegated to five minute matches on RAW and horrible jokes.
Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore
-Out of everyone I’ve seen on NXT since I first started watching, these two have grown on me the most. I’ve gone from being lukewarm on these two to them becoming one of my favorite acts on NXT. Cassady and Amore have some great chemistry together and the crowd loves everything they do on the show. Cassady has the size the WWE likes and can work in the ring. He’s also good on the mic and you can tell him and Amore have a good chemistry together with each other. And who doesn’t love SAWFT???
WWE Outlook- At Best: Zack Ryder At His Best At Worst: Tons of Funk
-Cassady and Amore have a strong comedy act. There act might not catch on as strong with non-NXT crowds. But if there comedy act catches on with the WWE audience like it does the NXT audience, then they could have a bright future. There’s no reason they shouldn’t have some success. Both guys can talk on the mic and can work in the ring. Normally you have one guy talk as the other is the big man of the group. But both of these guys can work and talk, so they should have some solid success on the main roster.
Conor O’Brian and Rick Victor: The Ascension
-I like the look of the Ascension. I think the Ascension is decent in the ring. But they can’t cut a promo. The promo they delivered before their NXT Tag Title Match a couple weeks ago was terrible. They’re a team that could use a manager. I don’t know what he is doing nowadays, but James Mitchell would be a great mouthpiece for these two. He’s almost always managed guys who had a “dark side” to them and would fit perfectly with The Ascension.
WWE Outlook- At Best: The Acolytes At Worst: Kronik in the WWE
-Both Victor and O’Brian are bigger guys. They will find their success in the WWE as a power tag team. But as I said, tag teams are barely recognized in the WWE nowdays. I could see them becoming a solid big man tag team like the Acolytes with a little bit more development. A mouthpiece would add so much more to these two. There really isn’t someone on the current WWE roster who could be a good manager for them. So they need to develop their promo skills a bit more before they are called up.
Corey Graves
-Maybe it’s just me, but I just don’t see the appeal in Corey Graves. I don’t like his look and I don’t think it will get over in the WWE. Sure CM Punk has something similar look wise, but Punk is just on another level as far as wrestlers go. Graves is decent in the ring but I can’t see him transitioning well into the WWE. Could Graves surprise and catch on? Sure, anything is possible. But Graves needs to fine tune his character and decide where he wants it to go now that his tag team with Adrian Neville appears to be over. I’d like to see a heel turn.
WWE Outlook- At Best: X-Pac The Good At Worst: X-Pac “Go Away” Heat
-I understand Graves has a unique look and a solid wrestling background, but I just don’t know if his look as a face could catch on in the WWE. What I would really like to see is him develop some sort of Raven-like heel gimmick with him cutting dark and mysterious promos. Again, another guy that I think would be good with a manager. Graves will definitely get a look on the main roster, it’ll depend on if the WWE audience catches on and adopts to his character, which needs some fine-tuning before he gets called up.
Leo Kruger
-It is tough for me to get a grasp of Kruger. I understand he has a stalker-like gimmick going on. The way his promos are cut are done well enough for that gimmick to come across. Maybe it is just that his outfit looks way too much like the old Bushwacker get-up. Outside of that his facial expressions are great and I like his entrance. I don’t know what they were trying to do with him against Antonio Cesaro this past week. I don’t think he should turn face. I mean if they are trying to make him out as a guy that isn’t afraid of anyone great. But his character is something that should be a face.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Kane At Worst: Stalker DDP in the WWE
-I think Kruger has the package that the WWE is looking for when it comes to their wrestlers. He has the size, he has a unique gimmick, and he can work in the ring. I think Kruger is a guy that could get to the main event level. I like the Kane comparison because I could see him being a guy that could be in the main event scene when needed, similar to what Kane has done throughout his career. As evident by his match with Antonio Cesaro this past week, he might be the closest guy ready for call up on NXT.
Mojo Rawley
-Rawley just debuted this past week on NXT. The WWE is apparently high on Rawley. From looking at him, you can immediately tell why. He has the size we all know the WWE loves. The “Get Hyped and Stay Hyped” character will take some time to catch on. The audience liked it last week. He obviously is still green in the ring and he won’t be on the main roster for some time. It is too early to tell his outlook.
Sami Zayn
-When you look at Sami Zayn, you clearly know he is the best wrestler in NXT at the moment. Some people were hesitant about Zayn playing a character without a mask, but he’s adopted to it so well during his time in NXT. Zayn’s promo ability has been very good and we of course know his in ring work is good. He’s becoming a top player on NXT and I think we will see how he does in the WWE sooner rather than later.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Daniel Bryan At Worst: Christian
-There is no denying that Sami Zayn is going to be on the WWE roster for a good amount of time. He’s already started touring with the WWE. It will again all depend on how the WWE decides to push him. Do they give another small guy a push similar to what Daniel Bryan has received recently? Or does he become a constant mid-card player like Christian? A guy the Internet loves but the WWE just doesn’t see big money in. Zayn’s wrestling ability alone will keep him over with the crowd. What the WWE does with him after that is up to them.
Scott Dawson
-It took me a couple of shows to warm up to Dawson, but I’m finally coming around to him. He’s received some comparisons to Arn Anderson and I can see a little bit of that in his in-ring work. Very hard nosed and no non-sense when it comes to delivering his moves. As far as NXT goes, I would like to see him break away from Sylvester Lefort and try out a possible face turn. I think his in ring work would get him over well enough with the crowd. And again, this is what a place like NXT is there for, to try out different things like that.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Ryback But A Better Wrestler At Worst: Jack Swagger
-If given the right gimmick, Dawson could become an effective asset in the WWE. I don’t know about the whole southern redneck hick gimmick. I’d like a face turn on NXT, but my bet is he at least debuts as a heel on RAW or Smackdown. If Dawson is given a serious mouthpiece, someone better than Lefort, he could be taken as a serious threat and he could make a good combo with someone similar to a Paul Heyman/Ryback combo.
Sylvester Lefort
-We haven’t seen any of Lefort in the ring. He was trained by Lance Storm so he has the background. But I don’t like his cheesy rich Frenchman gimmick that he has going. He sounds way too much like Pepe Le Pew when he delivers his promos. So maybe it is just me, but I don’t see this manager gimmick getting nothing more than low mid-card attention in the WWE.
Tyler Breeze
-This is my new favorite gimmick in NXT. Some people might not like it, but I think the strong majority of the Internet has loved the way Breeze has adopted to this gimmick and made it his own. I don’t know if he is intentionally sounding like Zoolander but its great. The NXT crowd loves him. I love the entrance with his cell phone. It is basically a modern day version of “The Model” Rick Martel. The key to gimmick’s like this is how the person doing it adopts to the character. Breeze has done a tremendous job.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Goldust At Worst: Fandango
-As much as I like Breeze’s gimmick, I’ll be the first to admit that it isn’t a main event type gimmick. Breeze’s gimmick is a mid-card one without a doubt. Maybe, if the stars align, he could become a World Champion. But with unique gimmicks like this it all goes on how the crowd reacts to it. If it is interesting, he could have an extended mid-card run with the IC Title like Goldust. If it doesn’t click, then he flames out similar to what we are seeing now with Fandango.
Xaiver Woods
-In some ways I’m surprised Woods is even still in NXT. He’s been around the top of the wrestling business for so long. He’s been with TNA and has been in WWE developmental for a couple of years. It makes you wonder why he has never been called up. Woods is good in the ring. I like his 1990s pop culture junkie gimmick. I mean, who didn’t love the Power Rangers growing up? I’m guessing with Woods online petition to get the Big Show re-hired getting some mention on RAW, he might be in line for the main roster soon.
WWE Outlook- At Best: Cody Rhodes Current Push At Worst: Kofi Kingston
-If Woods catches on in the right storyline he could get a solid push. I think Woods whole body of work will catch on with the WWE audience. There’s no doubt Woods can work in the ring, so it will all depend on what time of storyline he is given. No matter how it works out for him, I see him having a solid career, at worst, ass a Kofi Kingston mid-carder who can have entertaining matches with his offense.
I didn’t touch on the NXT Divas. My main reason for that is because pretty much all of them are better than what the WWE currently has going. Paige and Emma are both solid female wrestlers. I’d love to see both on the main roster. Bayley is making the socially awkward character work. Summer Rae is playing the bitchy better than you Diva well, and hopefully Sasha Banks can grow a bit more. Everything about the Divas on NXT is better than the current crop on TV, outside of AJ.
I know from reading a handful of different opinions on various sites that there are many different thoughts on NXT wrestlers. Feel free to share yours here and on who you think are the next guys to be called up to the main roster.
Until Next Time,
Justin C
Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka
