5 ways WWE could Debut Velveteen Dream on the Main Roster

Since re-debuting on NXT in May of 2017, Patrick Clark has captured the support of many with his Prince-inspired “Velveteen Dream” gimmick. The over-the-top nature of the character, coupled with Clark’s dedication to it, has seen Dream rise to the top of the NXT card.

His ascension began with a feud alongside Aleister Black in the fall of 2017, which was voted NXT’s Feud of the Year. It was praised mostly on the strength of the characters involved, rather than strictly on in-ring action.

That feud established an already rising Velveteen Dream as a potential mega-star. He would go on to compete in the inaugural match for the NXT North American Championship, and later had an excellent match opposite Ricochet. The Velveteen Dream even found himself in the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: War Games II.

Although he is young and inexperienced, relative to several of his NXT counterparts, many believe Dream is destined for a main roster call-up in the future. History is not on his side, though, as many people who were big stars in developmental, have floundered on the main roster. Look no further than The Revival for proof. What does Dream have to do to buck the trend? Here are some ideas.

5. Retiring Goldust

If I asked you which main roster WWE Superstar was most like Velveteen Dream, who would you pick? It’s likely Goldust would be the first to come to mind for most fans. From their theatrical nature, to the gender ambiguity of the gimmicks, the two lend themselves nicely to comparison. With Goldie’s career likely coming to an end sooner than later, who better to retire him, than the man who’s following in his eccentric footsteps?

One of the biggest issues plaguing WWE is their over-reliance on using stars from the past, instead of building new stars to take their place. While Goldust isn’t a featured main event star, he is still an example of the company’s insistence on harking back to the Attitude Era.

And although he hasn’t been seen on TV often, a retirement storyline is always intriguing, and an easy way to make a new star. If this honour went to Dream -- a man dripping in the same charisma and dedication shown by Dustin Runnels over the past 20+ years as Goldust – it would birth a new face of flamboyance.

4. Raw after WrestleMania

Let’s face it, this is the most likely scenario. Virtually all of the NXT call-ups in the last few years have debuted on the Monday or Tuesday after a Big 4 pay-per-view. Unfortunately, few of those call-ups have experienced immediate success.

However, debuting under these circumstances could prove beneficial for Velveteen Dream. The benefit of not giving him a high-profile feud instantly, is it allows the character time to get over. While the presentation of the gimmick is instantly captivating, it is a lot to take in all at once.

The more casual TV audience, may need a bit of time to get used to the character. Thus, debuting him without instant top billing allows the company to flesh out the character in front of a mainstream crowd, instead of throwing everything in at once, and hoping the fans respond well.

If there's one man who can break the Raw After 'Mania slump, it's Velveteen Dream.

3. Royal Rumble final four

Now to the opposite end of the spectrum, and establishing Dream as a main eventer, right away. Several NXT stars have made appearances in the Royal Rumble Match, but none have gotten close to the end.

It’s baffling too, because what better way to debut someone than making them a finalist in what’s arguably the most important match of WWE’s year? Imagine the reaction if an NXT “rookie” made it to the bitter end of the Royal Rumble Match against the likes of Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, and Drew McIntyre.

A performance that strong would instantly put Dream over as a contender, and could set in motion a storyline that shows the Raw and SmackDown GMs competing over his services. It might even build to the ultimate debut (singles) match scenario: a high-profile WrestleMania match.

By booking him strong in the Royal Rumble Match, WWE would create a new star in just one night.

2. Open Challenge winner

Another surefire way to make Velveteen Dream a threat is to give him gold immediately. We’ve seen the rebirth of the Open Challenge for the US and Intercontinental Championships, in recent years. It has been a great way to guarantee a quality match on television, but also a way to showcase underused talent. However, what if they took it up a notch and had Dream answer an open challenge, and win a title on his first night.

You could argue that Kevin Owens did this on his debut, but he didn’t actually win the championship. Even still, that high-profile, shock win, set him on a path that would lead him to the Universal Championship a year later.

Back to Dream, by giving him a surprise title win, he instantly becomes a top star (a common theme in this article), before his character has even been explored. Instead of building him up to be a champion, it could let him grow into the championship role. His run in developmental has proven he’s a quick learner, and can step up to the challenge when called upon.

1. The Face vs. The Dream

Is there a bigger name on the WWE roster than John Cena? Granted, he hasn’t been around much, lately, but he’s still a top star in the company, and is still protected as such. Because of this, a feud against Cena is seen as its own accomplishment. Winning the feud, a sign of future stardom. Now, this scenario would be true for anybody, so why is Dream singled out, here?

In the past, John Cena was asked who he’d like to face out of the NXT roster. His answer: Velveteen Dream. He even went as far as to say Velveteen was “The One.” What better praise could there be, than a 16-time World Champion dubbing you “The One”?

Well, having him put you over on a big stage, of course. Cleanly defeating the Franchise of WWE would put Dream in elite company, and send him on a path to superstardom.

Edited by Riju Dasgupta