Since the night after WrestleMania, WWE has inaugurated what is coined as the “New Era.” The main roster experienced an influx of talent from the NXT brand, including names such as Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Enzo & Cass, and the Vaudevillians. In addition, the debuts of former Bullet Club members AJ Styles, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, as well as recent NXT call-up Sami Zayn are all on the list of New Era members trying to make an impact and grab that proverbial brass ring.
Although this could be an interesting time to witness as a pro wrestling fan, it could also very well be a regrettable period for a fan as well.
In the near two-month span of this advent, only a minority of the aforementioned “New Era” members can say that they are on a good path to become a top star. We have seen the investment WWE is putting in AJ Styles. But are the really? Since debuting in the Royal Rumble match, Styles, unfortunately, cannot claim to have an impressive pay per view record, with his only win being against Chris Jericho.
Seemingly this was going to build the momentum for AJ in his quest to cementing himself as a staple in the upper echelon of talent. However, he lost at WrestleMania to Jericho, as well as subsequent pay per view losses at Payback and Extreme Rules. Most recently, he took a back seat in the area of relevance, and did not even make it as a qualifier in the Money in the Bank match.
The Vaudevillians was a surprising call-up, seeing how that lost their spark quite some time ago after being the top team in NXT. They experienced a win-loss record in their final stages in NXT that would not boost the average man's confidence, yet WWE still found it qualifying enough to move them up. Yes, they did establish themselves early in their run and became the number one contenders after winning a tournament, but what did it really do for them? A loss at Extreme Rules, and an afterthought on Raw.
Speaking of afterthought, Apollo Crews has been an afterthought since the very first day he appeared on television. The amazingly agile athlete has what it takes to be a star on the main roster. However, he was introduced with no vignettes, no hype, no direction. NOTHING. Just his music, a match, and a smile. That'll boost someone's expectations. Or probably not.
It took no time to utter damage Crews' stock, and maintaining his push in NXT would have been much better than a useless feud with the Social Outcasts, consecutive major events without even being seen, and when you do get an opportunity to make a name for yourself on the main roster, you are handed a loss to Chris Jericho, who was banged and bandaged up from an Asylum match just the night before.
Baron Corbin is another New Era member that should have remained in NXT. His Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win meant nothing in hindsight, and instead he is stuck in midcard purgatory with the Purgatory King himself, Dolph Ziggler. Corbin is one of the only pure heels in the company right now, who actually does a very good just playing the role of an old-school antagonist. He is exactly what NXT needs right now, and could be a great NXT Champion with the heat he elicits.
At least Big Cass looks like he is on a good path. The Dudley Boyz are good opponents for him, as the veterans can give him some good pointers both inside the ring and out. Enzo Amore is one of the best talkers in the company, including the audience with him and doing a fantastic job expressing his character in such a natural and organic way.
With his concussion, he may be better off as a mouthpiece for Cass while he continues to ascend up the ladder as a singles competitor. Enzo fits right in as a manager, and could develop a very successful career at it. Thankfully, Enzo and Cass saved the New Era from being a rushed project with gaping holes in it.
Wait, it already is. Well, at least they prevented it from being a total flop.
Hopefully, there is a better immediate future for these New Era members. Right now, it looks like an interesting movement in theory, but have failed to produce promising results. We sure do not want talent like Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin and the Vaudevillians to be another J.O.B. Squad, when they could have continued to progress and succeed in NXT. Yes, the opportunity to compete on the main stage is great, but not at the sake of character embarrassment.
Let’s hope for the best, but not be surprised by anything other than that.
Chris Featherstone is a writer for Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports, and Founder/host of the Pancakes and Powerslams Show. Follow him @cravewrestling and like the Crave Wrestling Facebook page.
