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We are officially in the midst of WrestleMania week and with only a few days remaining until the biggest spectacle of the year, somewhere throughout the halls of the WWE Corporate Offices, there is someone who is already putting in the work, planning tirelessly for next years WrestleMania. But with that said, there's still a lot of work to accomplish between now and then.
One way to introduce some fresh storylines to the program after WrestleMania comes to a conclusion is by calling up some of the top stars from NXT. With the ever-revolving door of premier talent coming through NXT, there's plenty of stock to pick from without compromising the flow of NXT's stellar programming.
Here's a look at 7 top-tier superstars from the current NXT roster that could be huge additions to either of the main rosters, post-WrestleMania.
#7 Shayna Baszler
The RAW roster was injected with a sudden burst of "badassness" with the recent signing of 'Rowdy' Ronda Rousey. As she heads into WrestleMania 34 with Kurt Angle as her partner, primed to take on the WWE power couple- Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, fans are extremely excited about the future of women's wrestling once again.
After WrestleMania comes to an end, Rousey will be forced to start looking at the RAW Women's roster for future opponents. Who will she go after? With all due respect to the current RAW Women's Champion, Alexa Bliss just doesn't seem like an equal foe. Of course, she could hone in on the seemingly unbeatable Asuka, or perhaps even Nia Jax.
Or...we could see a familiar face on the scene for Rousey. Shana Baszler has caught onto the WWE way of doing things very well. Her transition from MMA-to-professional wrestling has been a fairly smooth and uneventful process. She could be the equalizer who comes along and gives Ronda all she can handle. Or, maybe, just maybe, Baszler and Rousey join forces and dominate everyone else with a pulse?
#6 Authors of Pain
Akam and Rezar joined forces at the WWE Performance Center in early-2016 to form The Authors of Pain. The AOP was a team of two big, brute warriors with a very menacing, intimidating look. They were making quick work of all opponents, in squash bouts which did very little to feature what actual in-ring talent they had. Then cames along Paul Ellering.
Since joining The Authors of Pain as their manager, Paul Ellering has brought out the very best in his squad and their improvement inside the ring has become more prevalent with each passing week.
At this point, Akam and Rezar are absolutely ready for life as main roster WWE Superstars. Not only that but also they could be poised for a run at the RAW tag-titles.
#5 Aleister Black
Aleister Black is someone who came to NXT with a ton of quality experience to his credit. Prior to joining the company, he had previously made a huge name for himself elsewhere as Tommy End. As Tommy, he had highly successful runs with well-known promotions such as Pro Wrestling Guerilla, Insane Championship Wrestling and a host of others around the world.
Since arriving in NXT, the only thing that has changed is his name. The style and tactics remain the same. Black is and always has been something like a wizard inside the ring. In fact, many would argue that he has even gotten better as an NXT Superstar.
Aleister has given fans of the yellow brand something unique and highly entertaining to look forward to on a weekly basis. His talent level is more than ready for a trip to one of the main rosters. There are several WWE Superstars who come to mind, that I believe Black would have a very intriguing feud with.
#4 Drew McIntyre
I have covered Drew McIntyre for quite some time now and all throughout his career, he has had to fight from behind the proverbial 8-ball for any sort of respect. With that said, Drew was once dubbed "The Chosen One" by Vince McMahon himself, but somewhere along the line, someone had a sudden change of heart and the next thing you know, Drew is playing the air-guitar for the legendary rock band 3MB.
McIntyre was surprisingly released from his WWE contract in 2014. While many fans may have written him off, Drew was determined to prove the masses wrong, which is exactly what he did.
During Drew's hiatus from the WWE, he would go onto dominate several major promotions all around the world from ICW, back to Impact Wrestling. Suddenly "Drew Galloway" had not only become a household name, but he had also accumulated some pretty gnarly prizes along the way, by way of championship gold.
It didn't take long for Mr. McMahon and his band of misfit executives to realize they had made a terrible mistake by letting McIntyre go. As NXT Takeover: Orlando went live on April 1, 2017, Drew McIntyre was shown on the screen, signifying the return of someone who once all but given up on.
However, since his return to NXT, Drew has quickly scaled to the top of the NXT roster, which is where he remains, ready for his call back to the main roster, only hoping this will be the opportunity he needs to prove he is indeed worthy of the moniker that Mr. McMahon once blessed him with...."The Chosen One."
#3 Ricochet
I have a strong feeling that when the WWE history books are re-written, we will be able to look back at 2018 as one of the best signing periods in years. Along landing a deal with global sensation Ricochet, WWE officials also signed former IWGP Tag Team Champions, former ROH Tag Team Champs War Machine, as well as top-indie female star Candice LeRae. With all of the big-time names that have recently joined the ranks under the WWE umbrella, Ricochet is the top-dog, so to speak.
Ricochet is more than just another addition to the roster. He is a one-man highlight reel, capable of carrying any match, under any situations. Watching Ricochet in action almost feels like you're watching a video game character in action. His in-ring work is just that good.
This is a superstar who can and will step-up to the plate and does just about anything to help the product. His travels have carried him around the world and have resulted in some high-profile wins. Ricochet has also gained notoriety from controversial journalist Dave Meltzer as he was awarded Meltzer's elusive 5-Star match rating for his performance in a 6-man tag match where Ricochet partnered with Matt Sydal and Will Ospreay to take on members of The Bullet Club back in September of 2016.
#2 Undisputed Era
I still believe that time will prove that signing Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, and Bobby Fish will turn out to be one of the best signings of the new era. I just don't think the average fan has fully grasped just how great these guys can be and have been in the past.
As The Undisputed Era, these guys have shown everyone just how destructive and methodically dangerous they can be. Once they arrive on the main roster, we will see more of Cole in singles action, just as we will see Fish and O'Reilly tagging up against the main roster competition.
Friends, the ceiling is unbelievably high for this trio. The options are virtually endless as far as what these guys can accomplish both collectively, as well as individually. Post-WrestleMania is a perfect time to introduce this dynamite trio to the main roster and to the WWE Universe.
#1 EC3
EC3 is officially on the NXT roster... Just let that one sink in for a minute. It seems like yesterday that he was ruling Impact Wrestling as one of the top overall champions in the world, and now he's back where he belongs.
Things are much different than the last time EC3 was in the WWE developmental system. Last time he was on board, there was no NXT, in the beginning, it was then known as FCW, based out of an old, abandoned warehouse in Tampa and while the level of talent was there, there simply was not the same excitement that comes along with today's NXT brand. Of course, FCW would eventually give way to the newly formed NXT and move 30 minutes east, to Orlando and set up shop on the campus of Full Sail University.
After leaving the company, EC3 would eventually rise to the top of Impact Wrestling's roster, where he would become one of the greatest World Champions in all of professional wrestling. Now that he's come full circle and made his way back into the WWE developmental system, EC3 should not require much time with the yellow squad. In fact, the way things are now, EC3 would probably be better utilized on one of the main rosters and to take it a step further, I would not be at all opposed to the idea of EC3 jumping into a World Title picture right away.
