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It is often said that the success of a pro-wrestling stable depends on how many new stars are created. The association is supposed to be a launching pad for future main eventers - so it all depends on how many of the stable members can remain relevant even after the dissolution of the group.
Triple H's Evolution stable is a classic example - hailed as the perfect stable, it gave breaks to both Randy Orton and Batista to step up and become future WWE champions, with both going on to headline WrestleMania. The same outcome didn't happen when Orton went on to form his Legacy stable with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. Both Rhodes and DiBiase were midcard at best and their push soon withered away once the stable was dissolved.
If creating future world champions is the clinching criteria, which is the greatest stable in pro-wrestling of the past decade? The Shield comes close, with all of their members going on to become future world champions. But in sheer case of numbers, they trail one of the least talked-about groups in wrestling history - Adam Rose's Rosebuds.
Let's be honest, the Rosebuds were just nameless characters who accompanied party man Adam Rose to the ring. Neither the group nor Adam Rose got over on the main roster - but it doesn't mean that members of his Rosebuds squad didn't achieve success later in WWE.
This list takes a look at the five most successful former Rosebuds in professional wrestling. Please note that the Superstars who failed to make the cut include Elias, Carmella, Kalisto, Zelina Vega, Nikki Cross, Deonna Purrazzo, Mia Yim, Scarlett Bordeaux, Mandy Leon, Leva Bates and QT Marshall.
5. Sami Callihan
Sami Callihan is an independent wrestling scene icon, having made a name for himself with brutal matches in Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) from 2008-13. He has also been part of ROH, Evolve and Dragon Gate USA. So it was no surprise when he signed a WWE NXT contract in 2013.
Dubbed as Solomon Crowe, Callihan's death-defying style never resonated with WWE. He was relegated to dark matches in NXT and his first scheduled television match was cut from the broadcast. Callihan suffered a broken tibia and eventually left the company in 2015 just after seven months of his televised debut.
In between all of that, Callihan also created history when he became the first Rosebud shown on TV. His blink and miss appearance was as the official DJ for Adam Rose and he was never seen in that role again. After his WWE release, Callihan has paved a path for himself in pro-wrestling, appearing in Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, New Japan Pro Wrestling, and IMPACT Wrestling.
He has gone on to win more than 30 titles on the independent circuit, most famously becoming the IMPACT World Champion, engaging in a well talked about feud with Tessa Blanchard.
4. Tessa Blanchard
Speaking of Tessa Blanchard, guess what else she has in common with Sami Callihan other than winning the IMPACT World title? Yes, she was a part of Adam Rose's Rosebuds group as well.
First appearing on WWE RAW in 2014, Blanchard stood next to Adam Rose along with the other Rosebuds when he was presented the 'LOL Moment of the Year' award at that year's Slammys. She would make further backstage appearances as part of the Rosebuds before having a short run in NXT in 2016, wrestling the likes of Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax in addition to competing in the Mae Young Classic.
But Blanchard came into her own after she left WWE and went on to wrestle all over the world. She has had stints in Japan, Mexico, Canada, and the United States, winning titles at all promotions. Her greatest stint came at IMPACT Wrestling from 2018-20, where she first won the IMPACT Women's title and then created history by taking on Sami Callihan in the first intergender match to ever headline a pro-wrestling pay per view (Slammiversary 17).
She went on to compete against male wrestlers for the X-Division Title and the Tag team titles, before finally defeating Callihan to become the first female wrestler to be crowned World Champion in a major wrestling promotion.
3. Alexa Bliss
The most decorated member of Adam Rose's Rosebuds group, Alexa Bliss' WWE CV speaks for itself - 3x RAW Women's Champion, 2x SmackDown Women's Champion, 2x Women's Tag Team Champion, Money in the Bank winner, Women's Triple Crown Champion and host of Wrestlemania 35. Alexa has indeed come a long way from being Adam Rose's Rosebud.
In fact, sitting next to Adam Rose during one of his party segments or running around the ring with the rest of the group aren't the only WWE appearances that Alexa made before she became Little Miss Bliss. She was part of Triple H's entourage at Wrestlemania once and her NXT career started with a cheesy fairy gimmick.
However, all that changed once she made her main roster debut in 2016. Alexa became the most sought after female wrestler on SmackDown with her arrogant heel persona. She was deemed important enough to have a title match with Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam and then again at the Hell in a Cell PPV.
Bliss's in-ring career has suffered a temporary setback after concussion-related issues, but expect her to add more titles to her resume in the future.
2. Braun Strowman
The current WWE Universal Champion is the most successful male Superstar from Adam Rose's group. While Adam Rose never captured a single title in WWE, Braun Strowman has won the Universal title, Intercontinental title, Tag team title, Money in the Bank briefcase, the Greatest Royal Rumble, and the Andre the Giant Memorial battle royal. WWE is very high on Strowman, voting him as the best male Superstar in the Year-end awards in 2018.
However, when he joined WWE in 2013 after a Strongman career, he wasn't off to the greatest of starts. It took 2 years for the company to come up with a gimmick for Strowman. In between, he made numerous appearances as part of the Exotic Express - a group of Rosebuds running around with Adam Rose.
In December 2014, Strowman finally made NXT debut, taking on Chad Gable at a live event. After a few dark matches on Main Event, Strowman made his main roster debut as the newest member of the Wyatt family. A great performance at the 2016 Royal Rumble saw the crowd cheer for the villainous Strowman which eventually led to his singles push.
He would have main event angles with the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, and Goldberg. Strowman's biggest break would come at Wrestlemania 36 when he stepped in for Reigns to beat Goldberg to win the Universal title. Braun Strowman has also come a long way from being Adam Rose's Rosebud.
1. Becky Lynch
Despite having won fewer titles in WWE than the likes of Alexa Bliss, Charlotte Flair, and Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch is considered by the fans to be the greatest female wrestler in WWE today. While she is out of action on maternity leave, her merchandise sales continue to hit the roof. She is considered to be one of the most important Superstars on the WWE roster - male or female and is also one of the highest-paid.
However, while growing up and wrestling in Ireland, such heady heights seemed so far away. Trained by Finn Balor, Lynch quit wrestling in 2006 after suffering an injury to her head. She would work as an air hostess before deciding to return to the ring six years later. In 2013, she got herself a WWE developmental deal and was determined to make it work - even requesting WWE to work as a part of Adam Rose's Rosebud group, as mentioned in this interview with Lilian Garcia:
"When I got to NXT it was like there wasn't a single moment that I took for granted or a single moment - I think this is the biggest thing throughout my entire career because I think Lord knows I shouldn't be where I am, but at no stage did I go, 'Oh, they should be doing this for me.' I would ask myself what I could do to make this good. I would take any opportunity - heck, I had to beg to be a Rosebud for crying out loud - Basically, the entire time I was so grateful to be there because I had known what it was like to be without it and then to be able to go train, and when the hours were long, it was more of a mental than physical struggle, but I was just happy to be there every day and to learn how to say a promo from Dusty Rhodes."
Despite getting bundled with an Irish dancer gimmick during her early NXT days, Lynch became one of the most prominent members of the Women's Revolution eventually becoming SmackDown Women's Champion as a babyface. A heel turn on Charlotte Flair resulted in Steve Austin like responses from the crowd, leading to Lynch winning the Royal Rumble and eventually both the RAW and SmackDown Women's titles at a historic WrestleMania 35 main event.
