The recent main roster brand-split took a toll on NXT. No longer is The Yellow Brand home to American Alpha, Carmella, Alexa Bliss, Finn Bálor, Nia Jax and Mojo Rawley and while some of those name are more disposable than others, there are a few, including American Alpha, that will be missed dearly.
Moving forward, The New Era has gulped down some of NXT's best and they surely have their eyes fixed in some of the other undrafted NXT talent to continue feeding the main roster for years to come.
Stars like Shinsuke Nakamura, Asuka and Bayley are just a few who are likely standing on borrowed time in Orlando.
So, once the rest of NXT's top talent gets called up, who will step up to keep NXT competitive? In this column, we take a look at 5 of NXT's underdogs, that will possibly be called upon soon to keep the developmental brand relevant.
#5 TOMMASO CIAMPA
Tommaso Ciampa is one of the most technically gifted stars in NXT. At 31 years old, Ciampa is certainly not one of the brand’s youngsters by any means. Nevertheless, Ciampa can still go with the very best and will continue to perform at that level for a while to come.
Ciampa is one of those guys who probably should've gotten into NXT at the ground floor, when things were still experimental. But, while Triple H was building NXT into the phenomenon it now is, Ciampa was busy taking on the very best independent talent in the world.
With success in Ring Of Honor, Pro Wrestling Guerilla and multiple other top level independent companies, Tommaso has evolved into a serious contender. Now he just needs to show the WWE/NXT Universe exactly what he's capable of.
#4 TYE DILLINGER
A lot of fans don't realize this, but Tye Dillinger is no stranger to WWE's developmental system. Back in 2006, Dillinger was paired with an up and coming Cody Rhodes at Ohio Valley Wrestling, which was then a part of the WWE Developmental territory.
Together with Cody, the duo had a pretty significant run in OVW, winning the Southern Tag Titles.
After leaving OVW, Tye went on to work for several indie promotions, including Ring of Honor. He also had a stint at TNA before finding his way back to a WWE contract in 2013.
Dillinger is an incredibly hard worker, full of energy and charisma. Unfortunately for him, he's not getting any younger. While 35 years old isn't exactly considered senior citizenship, it is definitely not a common age in NXT, where most of the talent is still in their 20's.
Regardless of his age, Dillinger is determined to make it to the main roster and now the fans are getting behind him in a major way, with his perfect 10 gimmick.
Tye Dillinger is absolutely capable of making a surge in NXT towards the top. Time will be the ultimate determining factor for this developmental veteran.
#3 TM-61
Most fans know these guys as TMDK (The Mighty Don't Kneel), a globally recognized and respected tag team out of Australia. Shane Thorne and Nick Miller haven't been in NXT long enough for most loyal NXT die-hards to know much about. However, it won't be long and the whole world will be talking about these guys.
With success in Ring Of Honor, TNA, Pro Wrestling NOAH and NJPW, TM-61 has the international experience and global respect needed to carry them all the way to the top of NXT's tag team division.
If you're a fan of high-flying, technically sound tag team wrestling, keep your eyes out for this Australian tandem, who are poised for a big run on the biggest stage in all of professional wrestling.
#2 AUTHORS OF PAIN
They're mysterious, powerful and dangerous. Other than that, fans don't know a whole lot about this monstrous tag team. Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani are young, big, brutal powerhouses with backgrounds in MMA, Punjabi wrestling, amateur wrestling, judo and kickboxing, just to name a few of their fields of expertise.
The Authors of Pain haven't had much TV love, but all of that is about to change.
Now the monstrous team has the legendary Paul Ellering in theory corner, as their current manager. As we all know, Precious Paul was the manager for what was arguably the greatest tag team of all time- The Road Warriors.
If he can implement some of the components used to make LOD successful, The Authors of Pain could be well on their way to getting main roster looks in the near future.
#1 AUSTIN ARIES
For some reason, some fans have forgotten about Aries being in NXT. This is one guy who everyone should know about. The former TNA World Champion is ready to take the next step in dominating NXT singles competition before fast-tracking to the main roster an yes, he's worthy.
Aries is also a two-time Ring of Honor World Champion, former Ring of Honor tag team champion, former TNA tag team champion and a six-time TNA X-Division champ.
The accolades and accomplishments are in place. Aires doesn't have to prove what he's done, he just has to prove he's got enough gas left in the tank. At 38 years old, he's got to start gaining attention immediately.
If Austin gets overlooked even once, it may be one too many and any dreams of making it to the WWE main roster could disappear in an instant.
