'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the summer of 2012, WWE officially rebranded NXT as its new developmental territory. Since then, we’ve seen a whole bunch of guys and girls pass through the ranks, with the likes of Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens going on to win world titles on the main roster, while in the female division, each of the four winners of the Raw Women’s Championship (Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Alexa Bliss) are products of the NXT system.
Bottom line being, the format seems to have been working relatively well.
As ever, though, there’s a flipside, and for every success story that NXT has produced, there’s been a number of disappointing main roster call-ups.
From pushes that were derailed for various reasons, to runs that just never seem to get going in the first place, we’ve seen a fair few names progress to the main roster, only to be mishandled, forgotten about, or simply ignored and left to fall by the wayside.
Here, we look back at a handful of call-ups from the NXT ranks that promised so much but delivered so little.
#1 The Ascension
After being put together as a tag team in mid-2013, Konnor and Viktor of the Ascension went on to become the longest-reigning Tag Team Champions in NXT history, going on a mammoth run of 344 days with the belts.
As a classic monster heel duo, the pair ran roughshod through NXT and were pretty much unstoppable, though that momentum was well-and-truly halted when they graduated to the main roster at the end of 2014.
Though they debuted with a nice little winning streak, the way the company portrayed their gimmick saw them robbed of any real credibility. Not only did they look like a rip-off of the Road Warriors, commentary continually reminded us they were a weak rip-off at that, while the pair also made the mistake of acknowledging the comparisons in an awkwardly flat promo segment on Raw.
They didn’t necessarily do anything wrong in the ring, but the combination of being booked in uninteresting squash matches and having commentary seemingly bury them at will, simply made them like look a pair of chumps.
#2 Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews, formerly known as Uhaa Nation, arrived in WWE with plenty of hype. He’d won multiple titles on the indie scene and been named as Dragon Gates USA’s Best Newcomer in 2011, but more importantly than all that, he was—and still is—an absolute physical specimen.
At 6’1” and 240lbs, Crews is something of a hybrid in that he’s equally comfortable as either a power guy or a high-flyer. Plus, he’s got the kind of look that you’d assume would endear him to a certain Vince McMahon.
But despite all that promise, things haven’t quite worked out all that well for Crews in WWE.
His run in developmental was a relatively brief one, though he did show glimpses of that obvious talent—which would ultimately prove to be a whole lot more than we saw of him upon graduating to the main roster.
After briefly feuding with the Social Outcasts and then Sheamus, he was drafted to SmackDown where he showed signs of breaking out, only for those signs to eventually amount to nothing. Now, he’s back on Raw, where he’s being used in something of a comedy role as part of the “Titus Worldwide” brand.
#3 Tye Dillinger
Though he didn’t manage to pick up any championships during his time in NXT, Tye Dillinger had been one of the most over acts on the entire brand. His ‘Perfect 10’ gimmick saw him go from a languishing jobber to a firm crowd favourite, to the point that his shtick was catching on with main roster audiences before he’d even officially arrived.
So when he did finally show up earlier this year, it was a massive disappointment when his run seemed to lose steam before it had even properly begun.
Dillinger debuted in this year's Royal Rumble match, fittingly at number 10, though he then wasn’t seen until after WrestleMania on the April 4 showing of SmackDown. And even then, he was used very sparingly, facing the likes of Curt Hawkins and Aiden English before disappearing from TV for a number of weeks.
He’s since returned to the fold and had a brief skirmish with AJ Styles in United States title action, but other than that he’s been given next to nothing with the company failing—or simply refusing—to capitalize on his obvious popularity.
#4 Emma
Emma lays claim to the unfortunate honour of having seen her run on the main roster fluffed not once, not twice, but three times since initially making the jump from NXT.
Having spent time in both Florida Championship Wrestling and NXT, she was very much ready for the big time by the time she graduated in 2014. But after a year of uninspired back-and-forth booking, Emma found herself back in NXT in early 2015.
There, she once again proved herself—not least of all in her Takeover: London match with Asuka—before re-debuting on the main roster under her new heel guise. Except, the return came in rather muted fashion on an episode of Main Event, and by the time she went down with a back injury in May her momentum had already been lost anyway.
That layoff then gave way to the infamous Emmaline vignettes, which lasted a ridiculous 17 weeks before the idea was scrapped altogether and Emma eventually returned as her plain old self.
Then again, at least she still had an awesome entrance theme going for her, which is more than can be said right now.
#5 Bayley
In some ways, it feels like Bayley’s main roster run has been doomed from the very beginning.
First off, her actual debut was a bit of a head-scratcher. After showing up at Battleground 2016, she then didn’t officially graduate to the main roster for another few weeks. Sure, it got a good pop at Battleground, but it seemed to stilt her momentum slightly and made her proper arrival slightly less meaningful.
The second mistake then came shortly after when she was unsuccessful in multiple pay-per-view title matches after being hot-shot into the Raw Women’s Championship scene.
She did eventually get her big moment by ending Charlotte’s undefeated PPV streak, but it went down at Fastlane in underwhelming circumstances, and less than 11 weeks later she’d drop the title anyway when she lost to Alexa Bliss in her own hometown.
Add in the odd cringe-worthy promo segment and a disastrously-assembled Kendo Stick on a Pole match, and the company’s somehow managed to turn fans against her, despite having been one of the biggest babyfaces we’ve ever seen during her stint in NXT.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
