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Every year, WWE refreshes itself with a new crop of stars. Some are big-name free agents that immediately join the main roster, like AJ Styles and The OC. The majority of the other stars "graduate" from NXT to one of the main roster shows.
In 2018, the likes of Andrade, Ali, and The IIconics all made their impact on the main roster. In 2019, things didn't slow down, as six stars debuted to kick the year off while others debuted at various points throughout the year.
The impact new stars make is usually different from what they may have accomplished while members of NXT. Some stars fade into the rest of the roster while others are prominently featured each week on either RAW or SmackDown. Every Superstar has had varying degrees of success this year, so here are the grades for those that joined the WWE main roster in 2019. Part of the grade is for how they've performed while another part is attributed to their booking.
The Street Profits and Humberto Carillo did join the main roster, but only did so over the last few months. They've each had a couple matches, but will not be included here. Cedric Alexander also won't be included because he was a part of the 205 Live roster when it was regularly featured on RAW in its early stages.
#10 Heavy Machinery
When it became apparent that Tucker and Otis were not destined to win the NXT Tag Team Titles, it only made sense to promote them to the main roster. Both tag team divisions are always in need of depth and Heavy Machinery is certainly a unique team.
The beefy duo landed on SmackDown and eventually challenged then SmackDown Tag Team title holders Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan. While they came up short in their quest to win tag team gold, they were impressive and continued to be a reliable tag team on the Blue Brand. After the WWE Draft, Heavy Machinery remained on SmackDown and are currently the second face team behind The New Day.
They've delivered in most of their matches since debuting and Otis has a strange charisma that has clicked with the fans. I long thought that they would be an afterthought due to not having much to offer character-wise, but due to Otis' antics, they could become SmackDown Tag Team Champions next year.
Grade: B+
#9 EC3
EC3 is still a Superstar that has so much promise. He blossomed as a top star in Impact Wrestling, but due to shifting of management and stars newer to the company getting pushed, he left for NXT. His run there was brief, but he still maintained a great mic game and a good presence in the ring.
He was never going to put on clinics in the ring like Cesaro or Daniel Bryan, but stars with less talent (Enzo Amore) have been pushed further than EC3. The former Impact Champion debuted at the start of 2019, as WWE wanted to push a handful of new stars in order to make things seem fresher.
His mic skills were his greatest asset, but for some reason, the 'Top 1%' was never allowed to speak much or sustain a push. Primarily, he has been used as an enhancement talent and as a part of the 24/7 Title shenanigans.
For whatever reason, he just hasn't seemed like a priority during his time on the main roster. Perhaps it would have been better had EC3 been kept in NXT for a bit longer. His character work is great, but he hasn't been able to showcase it much. The following grade is not his fault, but reflects how he's been used.
Grade: D
#8 Nikki Cross
Of the six wrestlers who were promoted at the beginning of 2019, Nikki Cross was the star most ready for a push forward. She had been left out of Sanity when they debuted on the main roster and had also had her share of shots at the NXT Women's Title. Cross was often involved in multi-woman matches for the title, but always came up short.
When she did debut as a member of the main roster, it was hard to gauge how she'd be handled. Her manic mannerisms were still present, but they were more so due to excitement rather than in the service of chaos. Cross was still over due to her manic energy and that kept her relevant once she was paired with Alexa Bliss.
The whole pairing of the diminutive dynamos was one of the top storylines for most of 2019 due to everyone feeling that Bliss was using Cross. The tension was used in each woman's battle with Bayley for the SmackDown Women's Championship but the two ladies remained loyal to each other.
That loyalty paid off as the duo captured the Women's Tag Team titles from The IIconics. The duo of Bliss and Cross received perhaps the best booking any of the Women's Tag Team Champions had experienced since the belts were introduced this year. While they did lose the titles to The Kabuki Warriors, Cross was a consistent presence on TV throughout 2019.
Grade: B+
#7 Lars Sullivan
'The Freak of NXT' briefly started to terrorize the main roster, but it was a strange trip to get there. Initially, like Cross, EC3, and Heavy Machinery, Lars Sullivan was announced as a part of the six performers to get the call to the main roster at the beginning of 2019.
Reports then started to surface on the build to 'Mania that Sullivan was slated for a big match with John Cena at the Show of Shows. Due to issues with anxiety, Sullivan's debut was continually postponed for months. Instead of unleashing his rage on the main roster just as he did in NXT, weeks and months passed from January until the Show of Shows without an appearance.
Those issues, however, caused 'The Freak' to miss out on the biggest match of his career. While he did miss out on a high-profile spot at WrestleMania, he ended up debuting shortly thereafter. Just as he did in NXT, Sullivan began to target everyone from Kalisto and Lucha House Party, to Rey Mysterio, to Jeff Hardy, and Kurt Angle.
Things took another unfortunate turn for the big man, as he suffered an apparent knee injury in June of 2019. Sullivan was expected to be out for a while, but later reports revealed that he'd likely be out of action until WrestleMania 36 season. He has yet to return in the 6 to 9 month window allotted to his injury. Due to that, his grade is different from everyone else because of his injury.
Sullivan was experiencing a slow build to dominance, but had he attacked stars a little further up the food chain, and not stars who are basically Legends, the he would have received a better grade.
Partial grade for 2019: C+
#6 Buddy Murphy
'The Best Kept Secret' is one of the most appropriate nicknames for a recent WWE Superstar. Due to being on 205 Live, a good portion of the WWE Universe did not see Buddy Murphy's phenomenal defenses of the Cruiserweight Championship.
His bouts at both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber this year were among the best matches of those two PPVs. Due to both bouts being on the pre-show, or on a show that might not get as much viewership as either RAW or SmackDown, many fans might not have known who Murphy was.
That all changed when he became an instrumental part of the "Who attacked Roman Reigns?" storyline following WrestleMania 35. His involvement led to a prominent weekly spot on SmackDown and high stakes matches against both Reigns and Daniel Bryan. In those matches, Murphy pushed both stars to the limit, but only defeated Bryan.
Murphy didn't have many big matches on PPV, but he did face Apollo Crews on the SummerSlam pre-show. The Australian Superstar also competed in the King of the Ring Tournament, but fell in the first round to Ali. He has regularly competed on RAW following the WWE Draft and is apparently a big favorite of Paul Heyman's.
Grade: B
#5 Kairi Sane
Along with Shayna Baszler, Kairi Sane was a big part of the NXT Women's Division once she debuted. She competed in the Women's Royal Rumble this year and was eventually called up to SmackDown to form a team alongside Asuka. As The Kabuki Warriors, Sane and Asuka started out as a face team under the tutelage of Paige.
They competed in matches on SmackDown, but never really received a proper shot at the Women's Tag Team Titles on TV until a July episode of SmackDown. The Warriors were unsuccessful in capturing the titles then and also failed to win the belts against Bliss and Cross, who had previously won the Titles from the IIconics.
Luck finally favored The Kabuki Warriors, as they captured the titles from Bliss and Cross at the Hell in a Cell PPV in October. During the match, Asuka used green mist to blind Nikki Cross, leading to a title victory. The Japanese duo soon turned heel after they misted and attacked manager Paige.
Sane hasn't had a chance to shine as a singles competitor, but has pinned Becky Lynch since coming to the main roster. None of the Women's Tag Team Champs have had long reigns, so hopefully that changes with The Kabuki Warriors. They are both former NXT Women's Champions and are among the best wrestlers in the company.
Grade: B
#4 The Viking Raiders
This team had an interesting start on the main roster. We all know that they initially debuted as The Viking Experience, but had the name changed soon thereafter to simply The Viking Raiders. The team's name wasn't the only thing that changed once they made the permanent trip to the main roster.
Formerly known as Hanson and Rowe, the duo's first names were also changed to Ivar and Erik, respectively. The Viking Raiders would experience the treatment a lot of new tag teams usually get on the main roster - squash matches against local talent. While it did sell them as dangerous marauders who wrecked anything in their path, it didn't do much to sell their credibility against actual WWE teams.
Things changed once they started to face RAW tag teams. Erik and Ivar beat the likes of Zack Ryder and Curt Hawkins, The Revival, and The Club. The duo captured the RAW Tag Team Titles last month after defeating Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode. During their tenure on the main roster, they are undefeated, except for falling at Crown Jewel in the Best in the World Tag Team Turmoil match. They should hold the titles for the next few months.
Grade: B+
#3 Ricochet
Ricochet's in-ring ability was never a big secret. He's one of the most exciting stars in professional wrestling and he continued that narrative during his time in NXT.
Ricochet joined the main roster in February alongside the likes of Aleister Black, Tomasso Ciampa, and Johnny Gargano. Once Ciampa had to take time off due to a neck injury, however, it forced Gargano back to NXT. Black and Ricochet started off as a tag team and challenged for the RAW Tag Team Titles at Fastlane and the SmackDown Tag Titles at WrestleMania. They were unsuccessful in both bids, but still received big spots on PPVs.
Once the duo parted ways, Ricochet became a featured competitor on RAW. Although he is smaller than those who are traditionally pushed by the WWE CEO Vince McMahon, he has been in high-profile feuds with the likes of Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, and Samoa Joe. He even competed in this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match and won the United States Championship from Samoa Joe. He did quickly lose it to AJ Styles, but was involved again in a big PPV match against Styles at SummerSlam.
'The One and Only' was recently a member of Team Hogan at Crown Jewel and will be a part of Team RAW at Survivor Series. Paul Heyman is a big fan of his work and it could lead to bigger things down the road for the talented high flyer.
Grade: A
#2 Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans was announced among the six stars to be joining the main roster at the beginning of the year. Her main contribution, however, was to walk up and down the ramp during matches on both RAW and SmackDown. She was a part of the Royal Rumble but didn't start competing in matches until after WrestleMania, after those six stars were actually assigned to brands.
'The Sassy Southern Belle' joined RAW and then received three straight PPV title shots against RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch. At MITB, Stomping Grounds, and Extreme Rules, Lynch retained her title over Evans. Since she received title shots right off the bat in the beginning of her main roster tenure, it left her with only one place to go: down.
While she didn't win the RAW Women's Championship, she was still a featured star on the Red Brand. An ongoing feud with Natalya even placed Evans in a Last Woman Standing Match on an episode over the summer. The feud with Natalya helped Evans fine tune her in-ring skills so much so that she and 'The Queen of Harts' were chosen to take part in the first female wrestling match in Saudi Arabia.
She may have been unsuccessful in three-straight bids for a title, but competing in a huge spot at Crown Jewel was huge not only for Evans, but for females everywhere. The importance of that match, despite how some may feel about Saudi Arabia, cannot be overlooked.
Grade: B+
#1 Aleister Black
Unlike former tag team partner Ricochet, Aleister Black is a former NXT Champion. While that isn't always a marker for success on the main roster, his finishing move, The Black Mass, still elicited "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audiences of RAW and SmackDown.
Prior to rejoining his partner from NXT, Ricochet, he did compete in a couple singles bouts. Once he was split from 'The One and Only,' he joined SmackDown in the Superstar Shake Up. After joining the Blue Brand, Black didn't compete in an actual match until he faced Cesaro at Extreme Rules. His main exposure to the audience came through backstage vignettes where he tried to explain his mysterious backstory. Those vignettes continued after his in-ring debut, but the messages were usually the same - he wanted someone to pick a fight with him.
It was hard to dive deeper into his potentially riveting backstory, but his in-ring work spoke for itself when he did get the chance to compete. The backstage promos were a way to delve into his character but we haven't learned much other than he has some secrets and that he feels he has been shunned by society. After the WWE Draft, he was among the names to join RAW. Like Ricochet and Murphy, it was rumored that he was someone that Paul Heyman really wanted on Monday nights.
Grade: C+
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