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I know that a lot of you watch RAW and SmackDown after WrestleMania (results here) only for the call-ups, every year. Superstars from NXT graduate and make it to the main roster to make their mark. Some of them achieve greatness. Others get lost in the shuffle, like No Way Jose.
This year was notable in the sense that no NXT call-ups happened on either the RAW or SmackDown Live that followed WrestleMania 35. I mean you can make the argument for Lars Sullivan, but he had already been called up a long time ago, to the main roster. So, why was this year different?
Let me try and answer the question in this very article. Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
Here is my analysis of the whole situation...
#5 Way too many call-ups before WrestleMania
Towards the end of last year, The McMahon family assumed control of RAW and SmackDown Live, getting rid of middlemen like Baron Corbin and Paige. And they promised that new faces would be called up to the main roster to show that they were listening to the WWE Universe.
To their credit, a whole list of names was called up including EC3, Nikki Cross, Heavy Machinery, Lars Sullivan, etc. But not all of these names were used on television in what was already a very stacked roster. And then yet another barrage of names was called upon including Ricochet and Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
It's almost like every single Superstar who was main roster ready (more on this later) had been called up in preparation for the previous season of WWE programming. Does it make sense to call any more names up, and have them get lost in the shuffle?
#4 Call-ups may still happen during the Superstar Shake-Up
RAW after WrestleMania ended on a sour note when the Kofi Kingston vs. Seth Rollins was called off for a tag team match. SmackDown after WrestleMania ended on a very anti-climatic fashion, as Kofi Kingston celebrated his win with his family. And this left people wondering, why weren't acts from NXT called up this week?
Well, maybe they will be called up, but on next week's show. The Superstar Shake-Up has been the site of many call-ups over the past year. SAnitY and Andrade are two examples of superstars who were called up in this manner.
And so I suppose next week's show will be a lot more interesting than this week's underwhelming episodes were. I also suppose that we'll finally learn which brand the NXT call-ups will finally end up on, after having been on both (or neither, in Nikki Cross' case recently).
#3 The roster is too stacked
Anyone who's watched Impact Wrestling or TNA as it was once known, knows how gifted and talented EC3 is, as a competitor. If a superstar like him has to sit on the sidelines because there are no spots available for him, it means that your roster is too stacked.
I mean Rusev and Nakamura did not get any screen time for weeks after they came together as a tag team unit. Asuka hasn't got any real screen time at all and she sometimes would not appear on TV, even when he was the Champion.
I commend WWE for coming to the realization that it makes more sense to utilize the pieces you have on your chessboard, instead of bringing new pieces in. After all, the need of the hour is for superstars to be happy so that they don't go out the Ambrose way.
What do you guys think?
#2 To keep NXT strong
One thing that one must always remember about wrestling is that it's never a destination, but a journey. So when one chapter ends, another begins immediately after. Sometimes on the night after!
So, let's take a look at an act like The Undisputed ERA which a lot of people are claiming should be called up to the main roster right away because they seem ready to go and create an instant splash. If they do get called up, who are the potential antagonists that Johnny Gargano can face over the next round of tapings? A Champion is only as strong as the challengers he faces during his reign.
So one must remember that while the ultimate destination may be the main roster, for everyone who comes to NXT, the black and yellow brand also needs to be kept very strong. Which is why, probably, no call-ups happened after WrestleMania.
#1 A lot of stars are not main roster ready
This has been the main problem with the main roster call-ups immediately after WrestleMania ends. While a lot of incredible athletes get called up to the main roster, sometimes they get called up before they can develop their characters fully.
Such was the case with Apollo Crews, who is an incredible athlete but honestly, little more that that. And just being a good athlete is not enough in the main roster.
While a lot of talents like Kairi Sane and Io Shirai may seem main roster ready, they need only look at Asuka to see that someone who doesn't have a great command of the English language is not often pushed by WWE. The same can be said for Bianca Belair, who's good, but not 'great' just yet.
I really do think that a longer spell in NXT can help all these individuals. Someone like Charlotte Flair is the perfect example of someone who had a great NXT run and then a prolific main roster run too.
