Correct NXT CallUps?

[CultOfPersonality]

So last night we saw a bunch of debuts and vignettes for new NXT talent coming up the main roster.

Rusev made his long awaited debut and dumped on Ryder, Paige shocked everyone to become Divas Champ, and we saw videos for Bo Dallas and Adam Rose. Plus, I saw on twitter than The Ascension are teasing a call up pretty soon.

So my question is are these the right people to call up now? In my mind, Paige and The Ascension are most definitely the two from NXT that were most needed on the main roster. Everyone knows how bad the Divas Division is and Paige made a massive impact last night.

The Ascension will come in to the tag division that's been torn apart in recent weeks, so new, full-time teams (I say this in the light of singles stars being thrown together and probably won't stick together) are needed ASAP.

As for Rusev, we've seen a lot of him this year and he looks as though he is pretty decent in the ring. I just hope he doesn't become a new Kozlov or the like.

Bo Dallas and Adam Rose on the other hand appear strange to me. Dallas was NXT champ for a long time but I can't see a place for him right now on the main roster.

Adam Rose, I just don't get the gimmick. I know his old gimmick as Leo Krueger looked pretty bad ass, and I think that would have gotten over more than this weird 'Austin Powers' gimmick he's got going on right now. Can see him going with Fandango and Santino for a while and then fizzling out.

 

[BeastFromTheEast]

I was shocked about Adam Rose being soon to debut. I mean seriously? The guy doesn't even have a finisher. I can't be excited about a guy that ends matches with a clothesline. Rusev is the equivalent of a sleep aid and Bo Dallas is too lame and hard to take seriously. IMO these aren't the ones I'd call up, but I'm not a WWE executive so...whatever I guess. LOL. Paige made a great debut though and I'm actually interested in seeing how her story plays out with AJ. Which is pretty different for me because I'm usually one of the first ones to openly bash womens wrestling for being so watered down in the talent department. We'll see how they all work out but I don't see any superstar power for any of those guys.

 

[DragonSuplex]

Rusev seems like on okay call up. Again, hopefully not Kozlov 2.0. I know Trips wants nxt to develop some big guys too and not just focus on the indy people, so Rusev fits that mold. Time will tell.

Paige is awesome. Paige is going to be a game changer. Hopefully her and AJ can be this generations Trish/Lita.

Emma........is a great wrestler, but pairing her as a dolt with Santino isn't the best thing. Hopefully her gimmick smooths out.

Bo Dallas has had his call up coming for time now. His gimmick of thinking everyone loves him in spite of being a scumbag is done extremely well. Should be entertaining. Not a huge fan, but he's really taken the gimmick to a whole new level.

The Ascension will rock the tag division.

Adam Rose's character is based on the character Aldous Snow portrayed by British actor/comedian Russell Brand in the film, "Get Him to the Greek" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". (Watch this link to see some Aldous Snow clips to get familliar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D9N2mNyOSE ) Personally, I'm a big Russell Brand fan and a huge fan of watching Adam Rose on NXT and the crowd pops he gets are insane. The Leo Kruger gimmick with the deranged safari hunter was good, but Adam Rose connects with the crowd better. He wont be a main eventer, but he'll be solid in the mid card. His gimmick isn't really a dancing one like Santino or Fandango, he's more of a party animal, but still a comedic act. I personally think he should be called up, but not right now. I feel like Neville, Zayn and Graves are ahead of him as the Adam Rose gimmick is quite new.

I really can't wait to see Neville on the main roster. Amazing high flyer, so good in the ring. Needs to work on mic skills.

Sami Zayn & Cory Graves are the 2 I want to see called up the most. Sami is the finished product although he's not he most built guy. He's so good in the ring and so over with the fans its insane.

Graves is intense and lethalin the ring. Now that punk is gone, Graves has the tatooed bad boy image that can be easily marketed. He's also great in the ring and on the mic.

Tyler Breeze is another name I hear in circulation regarding being called up. He does his pretty boy gimmick very well. Great in the ring but I think fans will get annoyed with him fast. Personally to me he's just a blonde fandango.

Oh well, the future is bright with NXT. LOVE IT!

 

[Skyeborne]

When Adam Rose made his debut on NXT he was trending worldwide, and when they played his vignette he started trending again. Since Adam Rose debuted he has been loved, plus he is starting to get older so they probably want to get him on the main roster to try to tap the potential in him.

WWE loves Bo Dallas, I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a fourth Evolution member if they start that up again. I can't say I don't like Bo, I like to hate Bo. I think that is why they are calling him up, people will love to hate him. The "No more Bo" chants will become a thing, and the #BOliever will become a thing.

 

[jaredsmith83]

I'm not sold on Rusev, really. Take Kozlov and Ryback and that's wat you're getting.

Sami Zayn is the one I'm most excited for. His match at Arrival with Cesaro was AWESOME and I think he's the most ready to go up.

Bo Dallas will probably be over with the fans the most, in my opinion. That "love to hate him" sorta thing will be good. I just have to wonder if they would consider bringing him in alongside John Cena to go against his brother? Or if they will not make any mention of that relation?

I think a Tyler Breeze/Fandango combination then split would be a great way to use both of them and a chance to have another tag team in the mix AND a potential rivalry. A jealousy angle between those would work.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

RUSEV - From what I can tell, the guy is pretty good in the ring and moves really well for a guy his size. My main problem with him, is his apparent lack of Mic Skills and the fact he has yet to show any real charisma so far. If he was given to somebody like Hayman then his lack of mic Skills would not be a problem for me, But the woman he has been stuck with seems to have just as little in the way of Mic skills and I don't think it will be to long before both end up back in NXT full time.

PAIGE - I have never been a fan of the Divas division and I don't really see that changing anytime soon, But for me Paige is a step in the right direction. She seems far more intresting then most the Divas already on the roster and appears to to also be far more tallented too.

THE ASCENSION - With the Real Americans spliting up and the NAO more then likely departing now Wrestlemania is over, WWE could do with another tag team on the main roster. The Ascenion are also one of the most intresting Teams I have seen in the WWE for quite some and having them face the Wyatts could turn out to be one of the best Tag team Feuds WWE has had in a very long time.

ADAM ROSE - I liked the guy when he was Leo Krueger and though he would be a perfect addition to the Wyatt Family, But his current character has yet to win me over and really think WWE should hold off bringing him up to the main roster until around Summerslam time.

BO DALLAS - Out of all the names mentioned, This is the one that I never imagined would end up on the main roster, The Whole Bolieve thing is just so annoying and with there already being far more tallented guys on the roster like Tyson Kidd who don't get a look in, It just confuses me why the guy is being brought up to the main roster.

 

[Blade]

Rusev is a meh from me right now. He'll go on a winning streak, lose towards the end of the year, and it won't be the same after that. We've seen it time and time again. WWE are great at booking the first 6 months of monster heel runs. But it's once the first loss is suffered that they have no idea what to do.

Adam Rose can be a success. I wish he had been called up as Leo Kruger, cause I love that gimmick. But I'm really happy for him that he's finally getting called up after waiting for years. He deserves it, and the Adam Rose gimmick will become a hit. It'll be like a more likeable version of Fandango.

I like Bo Dallas for what he is. The Bo-lieve gimmick is entertaining, like watching a train wreck. He'll get the heat, for sure. And he's decent in the ring.

I would've liked to have seen Sami Zayn, cause that dude is ready. He slip right into an IC title or US title feud and it'd be good. But he'll get there eventually.

 

[wrestler36]

As someone who doesn't watch NXT, I like most of the callups. Rusev had the right build up and squash match and those legs on Lana are unbelievable.

Paige is fresh for the divas division and the upset was a nice post-WM surprise.

Bo seems intriguing. It seems like he has the same Kurt Angle type smug personality without the USA facade (again, as someone who doesn't watch NXT, not sure if Bo-lieve is real, or a heelish preacher-like gimmick).

Adam Rose - Not sure what to think of him. What exactly is his gimmick? Just a party guy with a ladies man type personality?

Either way, I'm sure they are great choices. From last year and a half, we saw The Shield, The Wyatt's, Emma, Fandango, Xavier, etc. Some had some huge success so far. All have an upside.

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

Did I miss the Ascension vignette? Send them up.

I may be one of the few who like Bo Dallas, love the positive heel.
It would be interesting to see where they fit him in on the show.

Rusev I have always thought would go the way of Kozlov, and a user above me said a mix of Kozlov and Ryback, and I agree with that assessment.
They have tried for years with that unstoppable force destroying everything in his path, making everyone his bitch,type of wrestler, but it never pans out. But at the same time, who needs to be when you have Lana. Oh yes I will rise! lol

Adam Rose.
I saw him on NXT once or twice and I completely hated him,sure he was good before the name change, but the party gimmick sucks and that vignette was cringe worthy, I don't really see this catching on. Should have been that hunter/mercenary character.

Paige, I'm really happy for her.
I was worried they would do to her what they did to Emma,but hopefully she gets a control of her nerves and makes this opportunity hers.

I dont think Zayn is quite ready, still needs more time in NXT. have him feud over the belt with Neville and Graves.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Paige did exactly as she was told last night, it's the "Santino" angle all over again and she did it to perfection... Personally I was hoping for her to perhaps change her persona a little bit after the win, perhaps indicating she'd played AJ... If there was a problem with the segment it was Tamina who spent the whole thing telegraphing a turn on AJ that never came... Paige has enough experience not to be "nervous" but they simply played on the "she wasn't there to fight" thing... I think next week she comes out with a lot more attitude and swagger (not the guy...ew I just threw up a little in my mouth...)

I was a little surprised to see the Rose vignette ahead of Neville, but I get the feeling Neville might be saved for Money In The Bank as a debut/shock winner as the match may help him "get over quick". Rose's initial buzz was based on it being SO out there, I'm not seeing a main event push for him but he's certainly a good bet for that "fun babyface" role that Santino and Khali have had for so long that it's not fun anymore...

Bo is an interesting one as his gimmick and his vignette were almost polar opposites of his brother... they could so some really interesting stuff between them and if Bo does Bo-lox it up then he can always become a Wyatt...

Rusev looked impressive, Lana even more so...the Bridgette Neilsen/Mrs Drago thing she has going on is a great idea... if only they'd had her when Kozlov was around... that you REALLY could have seen working well. Rusev is there a a replacement for Mark Henry - I can see him taking Henry out at Summerslam and perhaps Big E as well for the IC title.

These are your "NXT" crop for now... all have been ready for a long, long time - Rose/Kruger perhaps longer than any of them but his gimmick does seem a little "cash in while it's hot" rather than well planned like the others. We will still see Neville, The Ascencion and probably Zayn this year though, some will debut nearer to Summerslam, others nearer the Rumble... Especially once Kane, Show, Henry etc start to take their annual hiatus' and Brock, Batista and RVD go on leave again.

Why so many debuts at once? They kind have always done it, back when it was the "new superstar initiative" they brought in MVP, Dolph, Kennedy and the like quite close together, same with the ECW guys like Sheamus and Kofi and of course the Nexus and Shield... This way you have 5 options, one is probably "can't miss" in Paige, Rose will hit big for a while before becoming parody... Rusev can be a long term player for the roles that WILL become available in the next 2 years as Kane, Show and Henry retire... The only one I really have a doubt on is Dallas... will people remember his prior tenure? can his smartass heel way compete with the other smartass heels they have? Not so sure...

To me thought the most important "re-debut" last night wasn't an NXT newbie, but the original winner Bad News Barrett... Ever since the riser came into play and he started being more "face" in his jokiness he's been looking like a big star - that match with Rey not only got him over in the ring strong but a lot of the face stuff was there... he was the heel but playing the crowd with him by the end and that "boom" with the Bullhammer could be the hook needed to make a difference... all in all a very interesting night for the NXT concept old and new.

 

[Ziirox]

The only call up I thought is questionable would be that of Adam Rose. Rose will definitely be a fun character on television, but I just don't think the gimmick has seen enough time on NXT to really play out. Despite that I'm not sure about the promotion, I think it will be a success for a little while, and then he'll become a jobber. He'll go the way of a fun gimmick that gets over at first, but ultimately will be fed to the Rusev's and other big guys that will get called up.

I'm a big fan of Bo Dallas getting called up. He's been in developmental FOREVER it seems. His "Bo-Lieve" personality is going to get him major heat if given the television time. I think he'll be hated in the realm of people like Vickie Guerrero and Michael Cole. Bo on the main roster makes perfect sense. Can't wait to see him.

The Ascension is another easy, logical choice to get called up. The tag division is pretty stale, and has been since Day 2 of the Brotherhood's reign. These guys need to win fast, and defend often. These titles need TV time to be relevant. The Fall of Man is a pretty cool finisher too. We don't see too many tag team finishers now a day with the exception of The Shield's Triple Powerbomb.

Paige getting called up needs no explanation. Excellent, long overdue main roster debut.

Rusev is going to be great. Expect him to be challenging for titles by the end of the year. That man will bulldoze the roster and get some convincing wins. The Cobra Clutch is an excellent finisher for him.

As for call ups I'd still like to see, I thought we were going to get our first looks at Corey Graves or possibly even Tyler Breeze. Both names would be excellent call ups. Love Breeze's gimmick. Reminds me of a hyper version of Cody Rhodes' "Dashing" gimmick. I think Corey could work as both a face or a heel. He'll definitely be up in the big leagues before next Wrestlemania.

 

[ShatteredDreamsProduction]

I see people mentioning Zayn and Neville getting called up, but I see the reasoning of not calling them up yet.
Imagine taking away the tag champs, NXT champ, women's champ, the former NXT champ, the guy who has decimated the roster for the past few months, and probably the best pure wrestler down there in Zayn, then you leave it looking a bit short of real talent. These guys are the "main event playas" down in NXT and some of them do need to stay.

Onto the call ups that do look like they are happening

I personally like Bo's character, he's brilliant at playing it, and the fact people still think he is meant to be a face is hilarious. I can honestly see him crossing paths with Bray at some point, with bo attempting to turn the Wyatt's around and be positive about their outlook and that with hi. Ultimately joining the Wyatt's just seems fitting.

If the ascension do come up, then I hope that they get put into a proper storyline with the Usos. Singles matches, attacking each other, all that jazz. The ascension have a really cool gimmick going, I hope it transforms well into big arenas, like them appearing in booths on the upper deck at NXT to intimidate their opponents, the flashing strobes for their entrance, etc etc.

Now rose is interesting, the guy himself has been around a while, but rose is new, maybe that's why, before everyone gets too much of him in NXT.
I can see him as a womaniser, going after summer rae and starting a feud with fandango maybe. Two eccentric characters battling for summer, at summerslam, it's got that cheese factor going on that wwe love to use to lighten the mood, because it's gonna be dark the next few months.

I personally have doubts about Rusev, will he get lost in the big man shuffle? big show, mark Henry, Ryback, big e, reigns, Batista knocking about again. Then Brodus, the Wyatt's, Khali, reigns, Titus and even Sheamus to an extent. Is their a real place for him on the roster at the moment. If they are gonna make him a guy to fear, I can see him taking the IC title off big e for a start. And work his way from there. Maybe a feud with Henry, a credible opponent to go over without damaging someone else's career too much.

Finally paige, everyone has been going in about her for ages. I like what someone said about her and AJ being Trish/Lita for this generation. She's young, has a genuine passion for wrestling and isn't using it as a step up to become a model or get into TV.
Her, AJ, Naomi, Brie, natalya, summer rae, Emma, tamina, hell, even nikki is getting better in ring (she has more moves than Cena). The divas division in general is looking the best it's been in a long time. And I can see paige leading the division for years to come. She is definitely here to stay.

 

[CultOfPersonality]

To me thought the most important "re-debut" last night wasn't an NXT newbie, but the original winner Bad News Barrett... Ever since the riser came into play and he started being more "face" in his jokiness he's been looking like a big star - that match with Rey not only got him over in the ring strong but a lot of the face stuff was there... he was the heel but playing the crowd with him by the end and that "boom" with the Bullhammer could be the hook needed to make a difference... all in all a very interesting night for the NXT concept old and new.

Being a Brit, I was completely pumped to see Barrett back last night. I love the gimmick and really wanted to see him earlier than this, but the crowd completely helped him make the perfect re-debut. With Paige, Rusev, Rose and Dallas coming, and probably The Ascension soon - they're gonna have to cut a bunch of guys, or at least remove guys who we've been used to seeing pretty regularly from TV altogether. I'm glad they're pushing the new crop though.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I agree with most of the recent main roster promotions. Paige will do wonders for the divas division, as will Emma when she gets her chance to work a title feud. I dislike Bo and his idiotic Bo-lieve stuff but I'll take him debuting over ever seeing another Rusev match or any of his horrible promos. I already hate him. Rose should be another great addition to the main roster, I liked what I saw of him in NXT. Zayn should have been promoted instead of Bo honestly though. I hope he's next.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Without a doubt, Paige was easily the most beneficial call-up from NXT. AJ has been riding a CM Punk-esque title reign and has literally defeated every single WWE Diva on the main roster... so bringing in someone new gives a fresh breath of air into the division. Add the fact that Paige is a pretty good wrestler and has a fan following, you've got yourself the perfect call-up. They've got material to work with here for a couple of months if WWE play this right.

Rusev is basically your next monster heel who will go on a rampage for a while before taking on a big superstar. Nothing wrong with that since it is a tried and true way of establishing someone as big as Rusev. However, considering that this guy is not only big but agile & has the foreign aspect, the WWE will have no trouble in distinguishing this guy as a believable, credible threat that nobody likes. He's a gold mine for a future feud... I'm going to guess that Rusev will be working with John Cena at his height.

I admit, my eyes have always drifted from Bo Dallas but he got called up to the main roster a while back and caught peoples' attention for a moment so he must be alright. This new gimmick feels like it could do something but I'm not entirely sure how Dallas is going to do. I'm going to guess a solid mid-card spot for Dallas.

I loved Leo Kruger but there is no place for his gimmick right now whilst Bray Wyatt is still a thing so let's have at it with Adam Rose. The guy has a natural knack for playing these outlandish characters and executing them very well, and with him getting a debut at an age older than most, I'm very happy for him to get his shot. He definitely deserves a chance at the big time and I think he'll do well.

-----------------------------------

As for everyone else who people keep mentioning like The Ascension & Sami Zayn: you can't expect the WWE to let the flood gates open and fill their main roster with NXT stars. What would happen to NXT if their best performers suddenly up and left? Everyone would be complaining that NXT is shit and all their good stars are not getting the push they deserve.

NXT needs guys like Zayn to keep the show entertaining and the main roster is stacked as it is even without these new debuts. Personally, I think a little spring cleaning of contracts is in order (or something along the lines of assessing their talents) as the amount of guys hanging around is very over-bearing at times... but I'm heading off track.

Let's keep some of the big fish in the small pond whilst we give others a chance to swim with the sharks. Slowly, but surely, we'll see all of our favourite NXT guys get their chance.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

Adam Rose, I think this call up is right. I haven't seen much of him in the ring but what I have seen is that he is aggressive, and obviously his party gimmick is awesome to see enter the NxT arena. I think they wanted to get that to Raw before it became over exposed on NxT, and half the audience stops caring about it.

I do think the Adam Rose character has the most potential out of all the call ups. I definitely see the Russell Brand in that character. It's a fun party character, but he just looks like he has a mean side to him that I can't really explain and that I could actually see getting him over as far as they wanted him to go. He just looks like a out of control rockstar who will do whatever he needs to succeed in the ring. And I think his character/look and the way he talks is a bit mesmerizing especially to the ladies. Similar to a Russell Brand.

Rusev, he could be good in the ring. For some reason I feel the WWE will actually hurt that by having him work a slower, safer pace. We really just need to see him go all out with his skillset. They have a chance to create a beast with Rusev if done right, I could see him being WWE's version of Hanson or Michael Elgin... maybe I shouldn't use those as comparisons for this audience though? More than likely I see his career running beneath the likes of Kozlovs. Kozlov actually had a championship match a time or two, I don't know if Rusev will get there with one title.

The Ascension, I'm just waiting. Conor O'Brain got huge since he was on the other NxT! He's old too.. so let's get these guys out there and in front of the crowds already. Sink or swim. No doubt they'll swim.

Paige. Seems like a good and natural choice based off of what I heard from the crowd. I like her in ring abilities as well. I don't really like how she came across as kind of a push over to AJ Lee though, thought she was going to be a badass chick.... not just a starstuck lucky diva.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE will be instigating "cost cutting" measures. What that means is that they're gonna be cutting talent. Rather than developmental talent, who've been the only ones let go for the past few years, WWE will be releasing wrestlers or not renewing the contracts of wrestlers who've reached a certain age where there doesn't seem to be much of a future. Exactly what that age is, the report doesn't say, though my guess would be guys who're in their mid to late 30s. There's talk of Del Rio going back to Mexico and Christian retiring once their current deals are up.

The same report says that one reason why this is about to start is due to the current plan of bringing up more NXT talent. Meltzer states that after Bo Dallas and Adam Rose, the next guys in line to be brought to the main roster are Sami Zayn and The Ascension.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

On a side note, I really wish they would treat Xavier Woods with a little more respect.

It was weird, you could tell he was getting a match to show his stuff against Fandango on Smackdown one night... it wasn't a minute in, Xavier Woods was fly around the ring, looking great in my book, the crowd was kind of silent, taking it in I believe. But you could tell they called for a rushed ending right there, all of Xavier Woods offense that was STARTING to shine through, just got cut off and Fandango got a quick win...

and then Woods disappeared, til the week before WrestleMania when he managed R-Truth and miraculously got into the Battle Royal. Cole even said his name once at WrestleMania! Then Woods was eliminated, and the announcers never even called/seen it.

I love Woods look. I wish he'd grow the mustache back. He needs his own music and some mic time. But damn I know he'll shine in the ring once they give him a chance... they should really work on fixing their presentation of him while working on these new call ups.

As far as the cost cutting measures, by all means I liked R-Truth, but he seems lazy and uninspired when wrestling now-a-days.. just cut him or let him work an actual Tag Team with Xavier already.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I'm a huge fan of Bo Dallas' character work over the past twelve months on NXT and I very small part of me marked out when I saw that video package on Monday Night Raw, but I am a little bit concerned about how his character translates from NXT to Raw. The beauty of Bo is how natural the character development has been on NXT, from being the genuine corny babyface that everybody hates to the unbearable heel that thinks he's a babyface that everybody hates even more. It's been great to watch. However, as we've seen with Emma, taking a gimmick from NXT and putting it on Raw can be difficult for fans who aren't familiar with the NXT product to understand, and I think in Emma we've seen a gimmick that a lot of people just don't 'get'. Paige had the advantage of debuting in front of a live crowd that seemed to be largely familiar with her, which meant that anybody watching at home probably got that she was kind of a big deal because of the reaction that she got.

I'm concerned about it because I like Bo, and it strikes me as a bit of a hard scenario to book to ensure that the crowd know that he's a jackass that they're supposed to boo.