5 Superstars who thrived in NXT but are struggling on the main roster

When you look at the NXT conveyor belt, it's produced some of the biggest Superstars in NXT today.

Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn - they all honed their craft in NXT to adjust to the WWE style before taking the main roster by storm.

But it doesn't quite work out so well for everyone and, while many have moved on from the company altogether, I'm going to give a rundown of five Superstars who have been severely mishandled since moving to the main roster and could do with another spell back in NXT.

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#5 Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel was paired with Paul Heyman at one stage in the WWE

As we know all too well, having a famous parent in wrestling can be either a blessing or a curse. For Curtis Axel, being the son of 'Mr. Perfect' Curt Hennig didn't seem to hinder him at all under the name Micheal Mcgillicutty in NXT.

Axel was the runner-up of season two of NXT in its original contest form and even represented Nexus on the main brand, before returning to NXT as the top star he was before leaving.

While he was never an NXT Champion, Axel was always there or thereabouts. Upon his second call-up to the main roster, Curtis Axel was paired with Paul Heyman.

Everything looked great on paper. With Heyman by his side, Curtis Axel won the Intercontinental Championship, but Brock Lesnar's advocate left Axel behind before he had even dropped the belt - which didn't take too long to follow.

The Axe Man was so forgettable without Heyman that he was sadly named 'Mr. Irrelevant' for a spell, before joining the Social Outcasts and sadly being known more for bumbling promos than his in-ring prowess.

The former Intercontinental Champion has proven his worth recently as part of The Miztourage, but it seems like Curtis Axel's singles push may be well and truly over.

#4 Dana Brooke

Dana Brooke has transitioned out of the ring while on RAW

Dana Brooke is an odd one. While she never really got a lot of chances to show what she could do in the ring, Brooke seemingly got the call-up for her impressive work outside of the ring working alongside Emma in NXT.

It always seemed a bit soon for Dana Brooke when she made her way to RAW, and she's never really managed to make her mark on RAW - losing to Asuka in a matter of seconds.

Dana has had some impressive roles on RAW, working with Gallows and Anderson, as Charlotte's protege and more recently crunching the numbers for Titus Worldwide.

The sad thing is that Dana seems to be all but forgotten when it comes to the Women's Revolution - not really getting a chance to prove herself despite cutting quite a good promo.

Dana Brooke has gained quite the cult following while on RAW with fans always clamouring to see her compete and, while she's making an impression alongside Titus and Apollo Crews, it would be nice to see her get more chances in the ring - on the main roster or back in NXT.

#3 Tyler Breeze

Tyler Breeze had quite the wait for his call-up

Well, where to start with Tyler Breeze? A mainstay of the NXT brand during his time there, always the almost man, lingering about the main event scene and even wrestling a certain Jushin Thunder Liger. Breeze spent five years in NXT and always seemed like he was the next man to get a shot at the NXT Championship, but it never quite happened for him.

While Breeze has now turned lemons into lemonade with the Fashion Police gimmick where he and Fandango have their own 'Fashion Files' parody segments, it seems like WWE didn't even want to give them a chance to have a Tag Team Championship run.

Breeze debuted on the main roster, though, in a rivalry with Dolph Ziggler that never quite took off and somehow ended up going on a 20 match losing streak. At least he's still appearing on television, though, but in-ring wins are difficult to come by for Prince Pretty.

#2 Bo Dallas

Bo Dallas (right) took NXT by storm

Well, it was a tough one and he almost made the top spot, but Bo Dallas fits in at number two on the list.

He was once the longest reigning NXT Champion - only to be surpassed by Neville and Finn Balor - and even had an impressive main roster debut in the Royal Rumble where he lasted 20 minutes and eliminated the then Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett, and then defeated him again in singles action the next night on RAW.

In fact, upon his official call-up to the main roster, Bo Dallas actually went on a rather impressive win streak where he even defeated Dolph Ziggler and The Great Khali.

However, it all went downhill for Dallas after he defeated Mark Henry three times in singles and tag team action. Well, immediately after that when Mark Henry effectively squashed Bo in a Hell In A Cell pre-show match. The former NXT Champion then had a four-month spell on the sidelines that effectively killed his singles push.

Bo's return saw him tell Sting to Bo-lieve to be greeted with a Scorpion Death Drop, and also interrupt Brock Lesnar to be decimated by The Beast Incarnate.

Things never quite picked up for Bo again as he became part of the Social Outcasts and more recently The Miztourage. While Dallas, like Curt Axel, is still a constant on television, it seems like any singles push is well and truly gone.

#1 The Ascension

Konnor and Viktor could do with a return to NXT

There was simply no other choice here. NXT's longest reigning Tag Team Champions and one of the most dominant forces in NXT history simply can't buy a win on the blue brand right now - and it's been like that for quite a long time.

In NXT, The Ascension destroyed everything in their path, including legendary WWE tag team Too Cool and the Lucha Dragons, before eventually losing the titles to the Lucha Dragons one day short of a one-year reign, and then had another rare loss to an impressive pair of Finn Balor and Hideo Itami.

Well, on the main roster, the losses have not been quite so rare. The pair has found themselves getting scraps of TV time alongside Breeze and Fandango in the Fashion Files segments, but their most recent match saw them lose incredibly quickly to Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin just weeks after suffering a similar fate to the Bludgeon Brothers.

The Ascension would then confront the nWo's Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and X Pac, before being laid out by the APA and the New Age Outlaws. While The Ascension got a win over Billy Gunn and Road Dogg, things quickly went downhill for The Ascension and they've never got anywhere near the level they were at in NXT.

In 2015, The Ascension returned to NXT for one night only to answer the challenge of American Alpha in a match that saw the crowd show their appreciation to the former champs.

If this match showed anything, its that the Ascension could do with a return to NXT, although the tag team division there is even looking pretty stacked right now. The Ascension are probably the most underutilised Superstars on WWE television right now, and I can only hope their luck changes soon - although it doesn't look likely.