Quote:
Originally Posted by Anybody Thrilla
I actually think that it's pretty cool that they were able to incorporate all of that talent into the main programming. My fear was always that if the endgame of a performer was to be called up to the main roster, then realistically, everyone in NXT would either be fired or called up, and there's only so many slots for them. That list above is actually full of people who have done pretty well for themselves, I think.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by xrodmuc316
My problem is why are they bringing them up just to be there. If they are great in NXT, the only way they aren't great in WWE is because WWE books them not to be.
Somebody like Tye Dillinger didn't suddenly lose skill and passion, WWE saw one thing, his chant, and called him up just to do that. Not build him in any real storylines, he just loses. Even in NXT, when he lost it meant something, he was upset, he wanted another chance.
Now his character, win or lose, is just about how he likes the number 10. Nothing else matters.
Just leave that guy in NXT. He could be feuding with EC3 or Dream right now.
If the show the call up is on has zero effect where you don't even notice if they are there or not, that is WWE failing.
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The bolded points are the tragedy of NXT. They're supposed to be being "groomed" for something bigger on the main roster, but the main roster is just a trap with a bigger paycheck. 9 out of 10 times, the talent is being booked and presented better on NXT. The other time, it's a Baron Corbin.
Jumping past the list for a moment, let's take a look at Gargano and Ciampa. They both had buzz before WWE, that's a plus, but they needed "trained in the WWE style". In the last, what, two years, they became one of the most over tag teams in NXT history, and then one of the most heated feuds. It's booked like old school actual wrestling and it works.
Now take that microcosm and push those two in the same situation on the main roster. That entire, slow building tag team to bitter enemies would have:
a) started way too soon while the team was in the swing of their popularity because Vince hates tag teams,
b) they would have blown their wads with them way too soon by having them touch on TV every goddamn week, going through 18 gimmick matches in the span of two PPV cycles, and
c) after oversaturating them in this angle, let them both fuck off to oblivion because a whole room full of creative writers can't think of anything else for them to do. Unless it's feed one of them to Roman, I guess.
I guess I don't understand the fool's errand of building the act up for a couple of years just to job them out to uselessness in a few short months. What is the point? Asuka went from monster heel that got the Goldberg pop for going out and killing bitches to scrappy, fight from underneath and eek out a win babyface. That's not what built her... that's more what Bayley was doing, but they had Bayley just constantly lose.
Rusev was the classic heel nobody wanted to see - TOO MUCH of a throwback that was one dimensional and boring. Now that he's grown past that, the company that was bound and determined to make him captain badass before he was ready now wants to sweep him under the rug because he didn't get over how and when THEY wanted him to. He's like a way meatier, pre "Yes movement" D.Bry at this point.
Just about everyone on the list with the exception of Corbin, Bliss, and Graves were victims of mishandling. Unfortunately, Baron sucked nearly the entire time, Alexa was actually trash until she came into her own as Blake & Murphy's valet (and even then, her ringwork has been pretty suspect until fairly recently), and Corey Graves could have been the next big thing as the taller, homegrown CM Punk they seemed to be aiming for
or ended up being worse than Baron Corbin multiplied by Roman's NXT promo. We'll never know because of the time and place and the word "concussions" altering his career trajectory. Chances are, though, he'd have done okay for himself in NXT, fast tracked to the championship, and then evaporates in about three weeks after his call up to "the big leauges" because feeding him to Cena or Orton constantly would have seemed like the right thing for them to do.