5 Superstars who struggled in NXT but have succeeded on the main roster

With Tyler Breeze and Fandango re-debuting in NXT over the past few weeks, and several calls for some other 'misused' WWE Superstars to follow suit and go back to the yellow brand, it begs the question - is the grass greener on Wednesday nights?

Well, there's no doubt some Superstars have done it all, immense success in NXT translated perfectly to the main roster, even using the yellow brand to hone their craft and polish themselves before jumping up - Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Asuka all spring to mind.

But do you have to be successful in NXT to stand a chance on the main roster? Sure, it usually helps, sometimes it doesn't - and sometimes it isn't necessary at all.

I'm going to give a rundown of five Superstars who shocked the world with their NXT call-ups, and have taken the ball and ran with it on the main roster - or quite simply five Superstars who didn't look incredibly promising in NXT, but have made the WWE ring their own!

---

#5 Elias

"What does WWE stand for?"

I understand this choice may very well be a decisive one. Many members of the WWE Universe don't just walk with Elias, they stomp to his every beat and would proclaim it a travesty that the man who was merely drifting in NXT has not yet held championship gold.

However, when you think back to his time in NXT, the character just didn't connect. The Drifter did just that, and never earned any serious momentum - despite his best efforts.

Elias Samson, in fact, had a pretty monumental losing streak which saw him leave NXT after losing a Loser Leaves NXT Match to Kassius Ohno, before losing to Oney Lorcan when he tried to return as El Vagabundo.

Then voila, move him to RAW, drop the surname and give The Drifter the spotlight, quite literally, every week in the middle of the ring with his guitar - and you have a star!

Elias caught the eye in the ring during a match way back early last year with Roman Reigns where he'd go on to lose, but undoubtedly proved his ability. He now has scored pinfall victories over John Cena and Seth Rollins - while also featuring in segments with Cena and The Undertaker.

While championship gold may have escaped the clutches of Elias, no-one could have imagined that the Drifter would drift right into the spotlight on RAW!

#4 Baron Corbin

Corbin has been an undoubted success on the main roster

So, this one may come as a surprise when the name hits you, but I think Baron Corbin has been an undoubted success on the main roster, despite some bumps along the way.

Corbin had a pretty decent spell on NXT, but never quite got to the top. Championships may not be the be all and end all of a wrestler, but it seemed like the NXT Championship was the next logical step and would have solidified 'The Lone Wolf' as a WWE Superstar.

Corbin had a pretty decent run in NXT after ending Bull Dempsey's undefeated streak and defeating ECW legend Rhyno - but then submitting to Sami Zayn and Samoa Joe with both their submission moves locked in simultaneously seemed to signal his downfall and Corbin never recovered from this, going on to lose to Austin Aries after attacking AA.

The Lone Wolf got off to a flier on the main roster, though, debuting in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and winning it at WrestleMania. Corbin also won the Money In The Bank Ladder Match and, even though he was unsuccessful in cashing in for the World Championship, Corbin went on to win the United States Championship and has subsequently been in the main roster picture and an authority role for much of his WWE career since.

Baron Corbin may not have looked like the monster he could have on the main roster, but things have definitely been much better for him than they were towards the end of his NXT run.

#3 Carmella

F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S

Now, there's easily a case to be made for Carmella hitting number one on this list!

Although the Princess of Staten Island did have her fair share of singles matches in NXT and even had a shot at the NXT Women's Championship, she was often disregarded simply as eye candy for Enzo Amore and Big Cass.

Needless to say, the WWE Universe was pretty shocked when Carmella was drafted to SmackDown when Enzo and Cass had been drafted to RAW, but there's no doubt Carmella has been the most successful of the three, even remaining as the only member of the faction still in WWE.

Not only that, but Carmella has established herself as one of WWE's top female talents - both in the ring and out of it. The former WWE SmackDown Women's Champion won the first (and second) ever Women's Money In The Bank Match, this year's WrestleMania Women's Battle Royal - and has been a very strong feature of R-Truth's resurgence as WWE 24/7 Champion!

And we can't disregard Carmella's breakout moment - defeating Charlotte Flair for her first piece of gold, just days after Charlotte took Asuka's undefeated streak at WrestleMania!

People often talk about making lemonade out of lemons. Carmella has taken lemons and made some champagne! Or actually more likely a wine, which she has literally done via venture Capo Cagna outwith WWE too.

#2 Alexa Bliss

Alexa has made watching WWE Bliss since her debut

Much like Carmella, Alexa Bliss could have EASILY taken top spot here!

When Alexa Bliss was drafted to SmackDown Live at number 20, not even on the main show, who would have thought she would be where she is today?

Little Miss Bliss is one of only two women to have held both the RAW and SmackDown Women's Champions, and she's the first, beating Charlotte to the crown.

Bliss was also the longest reigning RAW Women's Champion, too, until Ronda Rousey took that crown - and Five Feet of Fury even held her own in the ring with The Baddest Woman on the Planet, too.

Now, Bliss did have a fair few matches in NXT - but was best known as the manager of Blake and Murphy, helping them win the NXT Tag Team Championships - and even working as an unnamed ring announcer on the developmental brand.

There's no doubt WWE knew she had talent, but it's only been unleashed on the main roster, most prominently with her own talk show segment - A Moment of Bliss - becoming a regular feature!

Bliss did have a handful of chances at the NXT Women's Championship but always seemed to fall short and never quite looked like the complete package. Since joining the main roster, her rise has been meteoric - with her promo skills being hailed as some of the best in the business right now and her in-ring work is pretty solid too.

No matter what happens from now on, Bliss' first 18 months on the main roster were maybe the most surprising of all time.

#1 Becky Lynch

From Becky No Belts to Becky Two Belts!

Now, this might be slightly controversial, but there could only be one WWE Superstar taking top spot here.

While she no longer holds one of the titles, Lynch closing out WrestleMania by pinning Ronda Rousey and holding both the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships will go down in history as one of the biggest achievements to ever happen in WWE.

While Lynch can no longer call herself Becky Two Belts, she's still The Man, and one of WWE's top talents - if not the top - and whether it be Becky Two Belts, or simply Becky One Belt, it's a lot better than Becky No Belts.

Lynch in NXT

Lynch's NXT career wasn't awful. Far from it. But no-one could have predicted this rise. The Man debuted in NXT way back in 2014, defeating Summer Rae before teaming with Bayley and losing to Charlotte and Sasha Banks, before losing three matches in a row aainst Charlotte.

A short stint teaming with Sasha Banks helped Lynch propel herself into title contention, but that match was a losing effort in a Fatal Four-Way Match against Banks, Bayley and Charlotte before subsequently losing to Banks again.

Now, she was in the title picture, so "struggling" may seem like a strong word, but Lynch kept changing up her character and struggling to find relevancy.

Fast-forward to the present day and The Man is at the top of the food chain, and may just be one of the hottest talents in professional wrestling - particularly lighting the world on fire with her rivalry in ring and on Twitter with Ronda Rousey last year!

The shift in dynamics for the RAW Women's Champion has been monumental - and there's no doubt for me that she's proven to be the true dark horse of NXT, not only stepping up when debuting on the Main Roster to officially kick off the Women's Revolution, but making a massive leap and becoming arguably WWE's top dog!

Who do you think will shock us from NXT next? Or do you disagree with anyone on this list? Who would you add? Let us know in the comments.