There are not much wrestlers on the FCW roster that I would deem as "ready" to take that next jump onto NXT. But then again, creative brought up Lucky Cannon who was named "Johnny Prime" in FCW. I did not believe Prime was ready to take that jump and it shows when you see him on NXT. He is definitely one of the worst wrestlers on the show along with Eli Cottonwood and Titus O'Neil (who I also deemed not ready before NXT 2 started).
But there are other wrestlers in FCW that I would love to be brought up because either 1) I think the are ready or 2) they have spent too much time in developmental and are in line for a push up to the next level.
Brodus Clay: I would really love to see this young man brought up to NXT. The guy is a powerhouse and is all but ready to take it to the next level. He has the voice, the look and the mic skills to succeed in the NXT competition and I truly believe that it would not matter who his pro was, he would succeed nonetheless. He still needs to develop a proper character though as the one that he uses in FCW is not working for me. But in time I believe that Clay will develop into the man that we all thought Mark Henry would develop into- a World Heavyweight Champion.
Jackson Andrews: I like this kid's look, demeanor and size. A lot of the posters above said that he reminded them of Matt Morgan and I couldn't agree more. The kid is tall and athletic and is the perfect enforcer type. Perhaps with some experience on the mic, he will develop into a proper wrestler but as of right now, I believe that he could at least challenge for the chance at being the top rookie once season 3 comes along. In FCW, Jackson Andrews was Curt Hawkin's Vance Archer and I think that Andrews played the enforcer type better than the veteran Archer. The kid is ready and if he does get in to season 3, he will be one of my favorites from the start.
Johnny Curtis: Curtis has been in FCW for a while now and I believe that it's time for him to get moved up from developmental. Curtis always had the look and athleticism but he never had a character until recently. He debuted a new character that was a germaphobe and it was classic. He came into the ring with white gloves on and checked the ring for impurities and even had a diva to accompany him. The diva, who I believe was Aksana, sprayed the ropes, floor and even the referee. It was a great gimmick and I believe that Curtis should bring that gimmick with him to NXT. It's quite hilarious and with or without NXT I think that Curtis could succeed in one of the main brands because of his look and gimmick. Add to the fact that this kid is pretty accomplished in the ring and has the Falcon Arrow finisher, I see big things for Curtis in the future. All he needs is to sharpen his mic skills but that can be said for any rookie not named Wade Barret or Percy Watson.
Mason Ryan: I don't know about you guys but I miss Batista. Mason Ryan is quite possibly the best alternative to the Animal because of the fact that he has the build, facial structure and rage that Dave once possessed in a WWE ring. Ryan is being built in FCW as a monster heel and I say why not if one has that physique and mean streak. Ryan could definitely make a dent in the NXT competition and the only thing holding him back would be his mic skills. Like his other fellow rookies, Ryan needs to more help in regards to his mic skills but Ryan will be able to remedy that with his overall performance in the ring. I believe that Ryan is definitely ready to hit NXT and become the new Animal.
I would also like to see
Richie Steamboat and
Brett Dibiase in an NXT ring but both men are badly injured and will need more time to recover. They will probably miss a 3rd season of NXT and that is unfortunate but these two men don't really need NXT anyway.
Bo Rotunda is another young man that is slated to get into an NXT ring next year and he too will probably see a name change. He was supposed to be in season 2 but an injury forced him to miss it and his brother (Husky Harris) had to take his place. If Bo is anything like his brother, I would love to see Bo compete. I don't really know what gimmick he will have as he was a face in FCW and was in a tag team with his brother. From that tag team, Husky has changed his gimmick completely and has become a heel so I am excited to see what gimmick Bo will employ and I'm excited in general to see the younger son of IRS compete in NXT.
I would personally like to see
Epico (Tito/ Orlando Colon) and
Hunico skip NXT all together and debut on either RAW or Smackdown as a tag team. Their high flying Luch Libre style works perfectly as a tag team and kids would definitely love these two. Add to the fact that the WWE is in dire need of a proper tag team division, I believe that Epico and Hunico will definitely help to remedy the situation. These two will become instant fan favorites and title contenders very soon because of it.
Other FCW wrestlers that I would love to see in NXT include
Jinder Mahal and
Rhys Ali solely because of their look. Mahal already has the gimmick of a Middle Eastern (instant heat in America) and Rhys Ali has a look that is unique and intriguing.
Wrestlers that I would not want on NXT because I truly believe that they will fail miserably are
Big E Langston (green in the ring),
Rudy Parker (jobber),
Donnie Marlow (he needs to debut a new gimmick because the Uso's already have the Samoan family gimmick) and
Tito Colon as Tito Colon and not Epico (his character is better with the mask on).
Conrad Tanner, Derrick Bateman, Devin Allen, Drake Brewer (although very accomplished in Japan),
Jacob Novak, Leo Kruger (Justin Gabriel's rival in South Africa) and
Wes Brisco have not showed me enough in FCW that would warrant a promotion onto NXT.
"Well that's all good Thrilla but you forgot about who the Pros will be!"
I personally do not think the Pros are all that important in this competition. Usually creative picks pros that are not doing much on either RAW or Smackdown and are giving them air time. The only exception is Chris Jericho but I'm sure that he jumped at the chance to mentor a rookie. So yeah, I don't believe we, the fans, really care who the pros are and are only looking at how well the rookies perform. So they could pick any Pro really. Hell give Vickie Guerrero a rookie, that would be interesting but I don't think it really matters in the end. Wade Barret won Season 1 because he had the look, mic skills and charisma not because of Chris Jericho. Kaval, Alex Riley, Percy Watson or Joe Hennig will win NXT 2 not because of their pros but because of how they perform in the ring and on the mic.