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Grading the Top 10 NXT Call Ups 

NXT is almost a machine that churns out regularly talented wrestlers who are prepared for the bright lights of the WWE. They have been doing what promotions like Ohio Valley Wrestling and Florida Championship Wrestling did before them, but this is a whole different animal. NXT teaches all of its roster members how to wrestle under WWE, by regularly putting them in front of sold-out audiences and shows that put them through the treatment of being performers at a scale they have never been before.

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Even though WWE hasn't been organically creating talent in NXT, the wrestlers that have walked in and walked out are very different to how they were pre-NXT and post-NXT. This list will be evaluating 10 wrestlers that have been the biggest exports of the "developmental brand".

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#10 The Wyatt Family

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The Wyatt Family is a group that can be considered one of the most interesting stables in modern WWE. They had an eerie feeling about themselves, as Bray Wyatt led Erick Rowan and Luke Harper (later Braun Strowman, but he doesn't figure in as part of The Wyatt Family here) towards redemption and salvation because of everything that they have been through. In NXT, The Wyatt Family was a dominant force which did win the NXT Tag Team Championships after defeating British Ambition (Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey).

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After they were called up, The Wyatt Family became one of the hottest acts in WWE. They had decisively beaten the legend Kane and had feuds with the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and John Cena. They put on some classic matches against The Shield (Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns) and The Usos (Jimmy and Jey Uso). Even after their split, Wyatt became a WWE Champion, and is currently the Raw Tag Team Champion. Harper has been an Intercontinental Champion and is currently the SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Erick Rowan in their guise as the Bludgeon Brothers.

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Grade: B

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#9 Big E

The Next Big Thing?
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Even though Xavier Woods is also an NXT alumnus, we will choose only Big E for this pick, because of his achievements outside The New Day. Big E was an intimidating strongman in NXT, who would pin his opponents for 5 counts, instead of the traditional 3. He was slated to be what Roman Reigns is today, and his NXT booking reflected that. He was also the NXT Champion, beating Seth Rollins for the title (more on him later).

He debuted on the main roster as Dolph Ziggler's bodyguard and had a few years of mid-card obscurity for himself. Even though he became an Intercontinental Champion, Big E didn't live up to his NXT booking and hype. However, after he buddied up with Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to form The New Day, his career changed. The group are 4-time tag team champions, and have the single longest reign in WWE history. Now, Big E looks primed and ready for a massive singles push after The New Day splits up. Even though he is just 9th on this list, we expect him to shoot up in a few years.

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Grade: B

#8 Paige

Her short career is already a Paige
turner
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Paige is the originator of the modern 'Women's Evolution' in WWE. She debuted on NXT and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the first ever NXT Women's Champion. She accomplished this at the tender age of 20 and had a 250+ day reign with the belt. In this run, she emerged as the premier female wrestler in NXT and possibly in WWE. She had memorable and epic feuds with the likes of Natalya, Summer Rae, Sasha Banks etc.

Paige had an explosive entry into the NXT women's division, but she had a much bigger impact on her main roster debut. Surprising incumbent champion AJ Lee, Paige debuted on the Raw after WrestleMania XXX and won the Divas Championship from her, ending her record-setting 296-day reign. She stayed a relevant main event presence in the women's division for the longest time, until an injury derailed her career.

Upon her return, she had to retire from in-ring competition soon enough. Despite this, Paige's short run is no indicator of the influence she was for women's wrestling in WWE, and should be remembered as one of the finest women's wrestlers to enter the WWE ring.

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Grade: B+

#7 Samoa Joe

The Samoan we want to see succeed.
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Samoa Joe is easily one of the most engaging presences on WWE's main roster right now. He was a veteran on the independents and had come into NXT as a ready-made star. Even though a face gimmick didn't fit him too well, he thrived as a heel after he took the NXT Championship from Kevin Owens (foreshadowing). He had barnburners of feuds with Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura after that and made NXT absolutely must-see.

Joe may not have won any gold on the main roster but that isn't an indication of his success. He is a sure-shot future world champion right now. His character has not been trifled with or destroyed by WWE Creative yet. He has been in the main event throughout his run. He has had feuds with the likes of Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins etc. and he is bound to enter a high-profile feud again, possibly against someone like Daniel Bryan. Joe still has limitless potential, and WWE sees it. He is bound to win something big soon enough and possibly fly way up this list in the future.

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Grade: B+

#6 Shinsuke Nakamura

The 2018 Royal Rumble and low blow enthusiast, Shinsuke Nakamura
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Shinsuke Nakamura was a wrestler everyone was scared of when he entered the WWE. The fear wasn't because he was a character that meant to elicit fear, but it was with regards to how he would be booked. Those fears can be allayed, as Nakamura was one of the best NXT recruits in a long time. He had a tremendous debut against Sami Zayn and a very successful NXT Championship reign which saw him dethrone Samoa Joe.

Nakamura could be considered as someone who was floundering when he first debuted, being lost in an unnecessary feud with Dolph Ziggler, but he has really come into his own since. He challenged for the WWE Championship on two of WWE's biggest events over the past year, these being SummerSlam 2017 and WrestleMania 34. Another one of the top four shows was where Nakamura truly became a star, after he won the 2018 Royal Rumble, last eliminating John Cena and Roman Reigns. Right now, he is one of the hottest heels in the WWE and is in a wonderful rivalry against AJ Styles. He is bound to become a WWE Champion soon, and we can all bear witness to this NXT success.

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Grade: B+

#5 Finn Balor

The Demon has unleashed quality on the main roster.
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Finn Balor, in my opinion, is one of the best wrestlers in NXT history. Balor joined the brand back in 2014 and was easily the anchor of the brand till 2016. He was one of the most entertaining characters on the roster, who consistently delivered every time the bright lights shone on him. Balor was an NXT Champion also, as he had two of NXT's most defining feuds against Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe.

Balor has had one of the most explosive starts on the main roster in WWE history. He was drafted fifth overall in the WWE draft, ahead of the likes of Randy Orton, John Cena, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. On his debut, he defeated Roman Reigns in a singles match to be the one to face Seth Rollins for the new Universal Championship. He won the title, becoming it's first ever champion, but an injury cut his reign short. He hasn't come close to scaling those heights since his return, but his promising booking in recent weeks bodes well for Balor, who looks to be a main eventer for sure now. What he accomplished in such a short time needs to be respected and admired.

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Grade: A-

#4 Sasha Banks

The B.O.S.S. may just be one of the best women to step foot in NXT and Raw.
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Sasha Banks just pips Finn Balor to the number 4 spot on this list simply because her resume is much larger and definable than Balor's. Banks has been an absolute revelation in the women's division from the second she debuted. NXT saw her make history with Bayley (whose main roster mismanagement omits her from being in this list). Banks starred on NXT as one of the top heels of the brand and had a great run with their top prize before she left the brand.

Banks debuted for the forced Women's revolution storyline, but her work eventually saw her do justice to it. She was part of the wonderful triple threat match for the new WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 32 and conquered many 'firsts' in women's wrestling. She is a four-time Raw Women's Champion, as her series with Charlotte saw them make history week in week out. Banks was the first ever woman to main event a WWE show, participate in an Iron Woman match, Hell in a Cell match, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and many other match types. She has been a trailblazer and an inspiration for many people in the wrestling world. Her poor character work over the last year has been a blotch, which keeps her stuck to number 4 on this list.

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Grade: A

#3 Kevin Owens

Mission set. Statement made.
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Anyone who says Kevin Owens isn't an absolute star is fooling themselves. Since the day he debuted on NXT television to the day he destroyed Sami Zayn to become NXT Champion, he showed these sparks. He came as the prizefighter, who beat his best friend to a pulp only because he stood in his way to glory. He never cared about breaking relations on his way to success.

Kevin Owens had the best debut of anyone on this list for two reasons. First, he went as NXT Champion on the main roster, representing the entire "developmental" brand. Second, he annihilated John Cena and stepped on his US Title. He continued this hot momentum and defeated the biggest star in the WWE clean at Elimination Chamber 2015. Ever since then, he has won the US Title, the Intercontinental Title and the Universal Championship, with which he had a 200+ day reign. He recently signed a 5-year contract with the WWE, which means WWE must value him very highly. He has created a character that seems immune to bad booking, as even pointless feuds and rivalries keep him strong and a believable threat to anyone on the roster. KO is a man who is going to be a massive star for WWE, if he isn't one already.

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Grade: A

#2 Charlotte Flair

An NXT, and possibly a WWE legend
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Charlotte Flair seems to be following in the footsteps of her father really well. Ric Flair is arguably the greatest male wrestler of all time, and Charlotte looks poised to being the same for the women. Charlotte was one of the original NXT roster members, starting in a tag team with Bayley in 2012 called the BFFs. She soon became NXT Women's Champion and had tremendous matches with Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and Bayley (The Four Horsewomen of WWE)

Flair's initial debut was a flop, as it was a meaningless singles loss to Natalya. However, when she properly debuted, she was put straight on a collision course with Nikki Bella to end her Divas Championship reign. She did this aptly and eventually became the first ever WWE Women's Champion, and the last Divas Champion. As previously mentioned with Sasha Banks, Charlotte has made history as an active competitor in WWE. She shared a lot of the firsts with Sasha Banks, and had tremendous matches with her. She is a four-time WWE Raw Women's Champion and a one-time Smackdown Women's Champion. She seems to be earmarked to be the first woman to main event WrestleMania and her legacy will reflect her as possibly one of the greatest women's wrestlers to ever wrestle.

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#1 Seth Rollins

He indeed is Seth 'Freaking' Rollins.
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Seth Rollins is easily the best wrestler to have emerged out of NXT. The man formerly known as Tyler Black was there when FCW became NXT, and he was given the honor of being the brands first ever champion. Ever since that, he has gone from strength to strength. He is one of the few wrestlers to have been performing on the main roster at the same time as NXT.

Seth Rollins debuted with the Shield at Survivor Series 2012 and his team went on an absolute rampage on the main roster. They took out high profile names like John Cena, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, Daniel Bryan, Triple H etc. The break up of the Shield saw Rollins emerge as the first singles star from the group. He became Mr. Money in the Bank soon enough and had one of the most epic cash-ins on Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 31. Ever since that moment, Rollins has been the biggest name in the WWE. He is a Grand Slam Champion and the current Intercontinental Champion. He looks like he may be next in line for Brock Lesnar, and possibly be the one to end his Universal Championship reign. He is already a legend-in-the-making in WWE and one of the best NXT call-ups ever.

Grade: A+

Meet the man who called CM Punk the softest man alive HERE

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Edited by
Amar Anand
 
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