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NXT is one of the most talked about brands in all of sports entertainment. While big events like Wrestlemania and Wrestle Kingdom can draw people's attention temporarily, it seems that it inexorably returns to NXT. There are good reasons for this.
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For one, NXT is just excellent programming. The matches are on a par with the best Ring of Honor has to offer –and that's saying something – but they also know how to tell an intricate and detailed story. Look no further than their current 'who attacked Black?' angle and all of the different labyrinthian twists it has taken.
Another good reason NXT seems to hold people's attention is that it's where the future stars of Wrestlemania and SummerSlam reside. NXT has groomed some of the top talents in the WWE's main roster, like Charlotte Flair.
So the question is always on everyone's lips; Who's going to be the next getting 'called up' as the nomenclature goes? Who deserves to be? Who will do well on the main roster and who might not?
Here are five NXT stars we hope to see on WWE's main roster, and five we would rather stay put for now.
Should get called up: Adam Cole
He's been compared to Shawn Michaels, AJ Styles, and Ric Flair. His technical wizardry is only matched by his ruthless determination. His name is Adam Cole, bay-bay, and he's the future of WWE–just ask him, he'll tell you!
Adam Cole is ready for the main roster. He can cut a promo as good as anyone, and he is crisp and confident in the ring. He's already had several MOTY contenders, including a barn burner versus Ricochet. While he's having great matches in NXT, he's a big enough star that he should stand out on the main roster.
Should stay in NXT: Keith Lee
NXT scored a real coup when they signed independent sensation Keith Lee. Lee has been seen in ROH, but was mired in a tag team and didn't get a chance to truly shine on his own.
As big of fans as we are of Keith Lee, he just arrived in NXT, and he has still got a bit to learn about the WWE style of wrestling. The big man is impressive and draws many comparisons to Samoa Joe and Big Bossman. He's a heavyweight who can move like a cruiserweight, capable of striking, technical wrestling, and even high flying.
We have no doubt Lee will end up main eventing Wrestlemania one day. But that time hasn't come yet, and besides NXT needs his presence and incredible athleticism. Keith Lee tells fans to 'bask in his glory,' and the best place to do that is in NXT.
Should get called up: Nikki Cross
As evidenced by her recent "I know a secret" angle, Cross has tons of charisma and a great presence. The Scottish Psychopath has been most impressive in NXT. First, there was her vicious feud with Asuka, which culminated in a brutal, first ever Last Woman Standing match that saw Cross put through the announce table. She was also the only woman with enough presence and panache to hang with the loonies in Sanity and was a premier member of the group.
However, when that faction was called up to the main roster, she remained on NXT.
Her look, character, and outrageous brawling style are all unique in the WWE's women's division. With all respect to Ronda Rousey, Cross is the wrestler who most reminds us of Rowdy Roddy Piper at present.
Nikki Cross has been ready for the main roster for at least a year. Time to give her that call, Vince!
Should stay in NXT: Kairi Sane
Fans have truly embraced Kairi Sane in NXT. As one of the top wrestlers on the planet, male or female, she brings her A-game to every contest, whether televised or in front of a few thousand people.
Kairi Sane won the inaugural Mae Young Classic. Her InSANE elbow drop is, quite frankly, a thing of beauty. Many have categorized her as the future of women's pro wrestling, in both style and poise.
The Pirate Princess recently captured the NXT women's championship from the Queen of Hearts Shayna Baszler. The Queen of Hearts had seemed utterly unstoppable since her official NXT debut, and a lot of folks were surprised when Sane managed to cleanly defeat her so quickly.
Sane doesn't really need to stay in NXT; she would do fine on the main roster. However, NXT needs her, as a strong international female star helps the brand appeal to a worldwide audience.
Should be called up: Red Dragon
Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly have it all; Youth, technical ability, charisma, and mike skills (especially Fish.)
Kyle O'Reilly is a six-sport athlete who also struggles against a disease most fans don't even realize he has; Diabetes. Through a strict diet, training regiment, and sheer willpower he has overcome this obstacle to become one of the most flawless performers in the business.
Fish is a little bigger than Kyle, but also a multi-sport athlete and martial artist. While he can keep up with O'Reilly on a wrestling level, his job in the tag team is often to set up an opponent for his partner. As the saying goes, Fish sets the table, and Kyle sits down to eat!
They are internationally known and cherished junior heavyweight tag team champions who can also cross over into the heavyweight division smoothly and seamlessly. The Eliminators, Demolition, and the Rock N Roll Express are all big influences on the duo, and they could bring prestige back to the WWE tag team division on the main roster.
Should stay in NXT: Lars Sullivan
The Freak of Nature has carved out a niche in NXT as the dominant 'big man' of the brand, and that's where he should stay. While NXT is the home of great technical wrestling, there's always something special about seeing a big man in the ring.
Recently he proved his dominance over fellow gigantic man Killian Dain. Longtime NXT fans knew that when Sullivan was victorious, it likely meant that Dain's days in the organization were numbered, and that was certainly born out when Killian was called up to the main roster along with his Sanity mates Eric Young and Alexander "the Ax Murderer" Wolfe.
Sullivan has a great look, and his mike skills are pretty sharp, but he is a bit stiff and awkward in the ring. He needs more experience between the ropes before he is ready for the main roster, and he can gain that right where he is on NXT.
Should be called up: Shayna Baszler
While all eyes may be on Ronda Rousey as the face of MMA fighters turned to pro wrestlers, The Queen of Hearts Shayna Baszler has been the quiet workhorse of the Four Horsewomen, the elite cadre of former MMA fighters turned wrestlers that also includes Jessamyn Duke and recent mother Maria Shafir.
While Duke and Shafir were mostly brought in to build up a Horsewomen vs. Horsewomen feud, The Queen of hearts Shayna Baszler was always intended to be a full-time wrestler. She's more experienced than the other members of the Four Horsewomen, including the face of the stable Rowdy Ronda Rousey.
The Queen of Hearts had an impressive run with the NXT women's title, defending it over twenty times this summer alone. Her MMA background, tough as nails demeanor, and legit status as a serious fighter all combine to make her a great superstar.
Baszler is in her mid-thirties, and if pushed to the main roster she could have many good years as a star attraction for Raw or Smackdown.
Should stay in NXT: Roderick Strong
The King of the backbreaker is a versatile and exciting wrestler, capable of having good matches in almost any style against anyone.
If you look at the impressive list of titles he's accrued during his career, you'll see that Strong is one of the best, most respected in-ring workers on the planet. Strong has been the PWG world champion, as well as holding the tag team titles in that promotion. He is a former Ring of Honor world heavyweight champion as well and held both the world tag team titles and the world television title as well. In fact, he's held over thirty championships!
The only problem with Strong is that he's very wrestling-centric. His whole persona and character are caught up in how insanely talented he is. That's a perfect fit for NXT, but on the main roster he could end up lost in the shuffle. Strong should remain in NXT while his Undisputed Era cohorts move on, leaving him as the dominant technical wrestler on the brand.
Should be called up: Velveteen Dream
A lot of wrestling fans and critics talk about the 'it factor.' It's that intangible quality that just makes some superstars shine brighter than others. Stone Cold Steve Austin had the it factor, as did Hulk Hogan and the Rock.
So what is the 'it factor?' It's that 'je ne sais quoi', that sort of undefinable trait that makes fans want to emotionally invest in a wrestler. Some of the best technical wrestlers who ever laced up a pair of boots lacked the it-factor and failed to become major stars. Conversely, some very poor in-ring grapplers have managed to have stellar careers in spite of their lack of technical ability because they had the it-factor.
Another man with bonafide it factor credentials is Velveteen Dream. Though young and fairly inexperienced, he has already turned a lot of heads with his poise and prowess. He basically carried a feud with the largely silent Aleistair Black, and had a memorable clash with Ricochet that is still on everyone's lip.
His gear at a recent Takeover even said 'call me up, Vince.' Call him up, indeed!
Should stay in NXT: War Raiders
NXT's resident Vikings warlords have run roughshod over the tag division, and with good reason. The duo are one of the most celebrated and decorated tag teams on an international scale to ever wrestle in NXT.
The duo were initially rivals. They clashed in the ROH Top Prospect tournament, a contest which was eventually won by Hanson. The two behemoths decided to join forces and became the unit War Machine. War Machine upended the entire ROH tag division and had success in Japan as well, defeating teams who had been together for decades or more.
Wily veterans, Hanson and Rowe still are learning the WWE style. In another year they might be ready for a call-up, but for now, we'd prefer to see them smash their way through the tag teams on NXT.
Who do you think should be called up, and who should remain on NXT? Please comment below and let us know, and thanks for reading!
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