NXT has long been championed as the best show that WWE has to offer from the standpoint of professional wrestling. However, since the raid on their talent after WrestleMania 32 earlier this year, the show lost some of its aura that made it must-see television. Add to that, injuries to the likes of Hideo Itami, make it apparent that NXT isn’t as hot as it has been in the past.
Losing top babyfaces such as Sami Zayn and Finn Bálor, and having their Women’s division all but obliterated in the last year or so have left the decision makers down in Florida have struggling to fill the void.
While this is proof of how successful NXT has been since it’s inception, it seems as though they need something or someone to spark this new era of NXT in life. Here are 5 signings that could do just that.
#1 The Briscoe Brothers
Mark and Jay Briscoe are widely considered to be one of the best tag teams of the last decade but are yet to make a move to WWE, despite constant rumours. Best known for their work in Ring of Honor, they are eight-time ROH World Tag Team Champions and would be a great addition to NXT’s roster.
They would help fill the void left by top babyface tag teams Enzo & Cass and American Alpha, who have both been elevated to WWE’s main roster this year. It wouldn’t just be the tag team division that ‘Dem Boys’ would be able to contribute to, as both are proven successes as singles competitors, particularly Jay, who is a former ROH World Champion.
With WWE set to raid ROH for talents, Briscoe Brothers moving to the WWE sounds like a major possibility. After having seemingly accomplished everything on the American independent wrestling circuit, would a move to WWE make sense for the Briscoe Brothers at this time?
#2 Ivelisse
Lucha Underground’s Ivelisse is no stranger to WWE officials, having been a contestant on the fifth season of Tough Enough in 2011. Although she didn’t win the competition, having been forced to leave the show due to injury, she was signed to a developmental deal and did a brief stint, in FCW and later NXT.
However, after released by WWE, Ivelisse has developed into one of the best female talents on the wrestling circuit and has become one of Lucha Underground’s top stars, thanks to her ‘baddest b**** in the building’ gimmick.
It is this persona, not to mention her solid in-ring work, that would make her a great signing for NXT and would give current NXT Women’s Champion, Asuka, a much-needed threat to her title.
#3 Jay Lethal
Another Ring of Honor roster member, who I believe would make a great addition to NXT is Jay Lethal. After record-breaking title reigns as ROH Television and World Heavyweight Champion, Lethal has become one of the most talked about independent wrestlers in the World and having been a champion in ROH for 868 consecutive days; it is easy to see why.
But like the Briscoe Brothers, what is there left for Lethal to accomplish outside of WWE? He has already had a successful run in TNA and, although he is just starting to establish himself in New Japan Pro Wrestling, a move to NXT seems like the next logical step in his career.
He would also be of benefit to NXT, as he would help flesh out the fairly thin NXT World Title picture.
#4 Prince Puma/Ricochet
Another name that would add some much-needed star power to NXT’s main event scene is Ricochet, A.K.A. Lucha Underground’s Prince Puma.
Ricochet has taken the independent wrestling scene by storm, over the last couple of years, and has been involved in some of the most acclaimed matches in recent memory; both as a singles competitor against the likes of Will Ospreay, and in tag team bouts with his partner, Matt Sydal (WWE’s Evan Bourne).
It appears as though Ricochet is on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars on the planet and a move to WWE’s NXT brand, could be what he needs to launch him into the upper echelon of the wrestling industry.
#5 The Elite - Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks
If WWE really wanted to shake things up in NXT, then signing the group known as ‘The Elite’ would certainly do just that.
Consisting of three of professional wrestling’s most controversial stars in Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, ‘The Elite’ would change the whole landscape of NXT if they were to make the switch to WWE’s yellow brand.
Whether there would be any interest on either side for this deal to happen, remains to be seen, as Omega and Matt & Nick Jackson have found success in New Japan Pro Wrestling and are by all accounts living a comfortable life without the financial backing of WWE.
However, more so than the other inclusions on this list, the arrival of this trio would be a sure-fire way to revitalise the NXT product.
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