Should all new signees go through developmental/NXT?

[Gibby]

This thought occurred to me earlier today and I've been throwing it around in my head without coming up with an answer, so apologies if it's been done before. This isn't about Prince Devitt, but I'm using the man as an example because he's relevant to the topic at hand. If you want to ignore my rambling post and post an answer to the question in the subject line, then fine.

Prince Devitt has left NJPW and all signs point to him having signed some kind of deal with WWE. For those of you who don't know him, he's 32 and been a professional since 2000. For the last seven years he's made himself into a big star in New Japan, established himself as their best Junior Heavyweight and international star despite arriving with little fanfare, and held 9 titles and won two Super Junior tournaments - and on leaving was knocking on the door of the main event scene.

Obviously in WWE this means absolutely nothing. The fans don't know him and why should they care about any of his achievements? I'm okay with that. However, stepping back and just looking at the worker, it's difficult to see even with a critical eye what a period in developmental will do. He is very smooth, can work exciting and varied matches with a limited moveset and doesn't have that lack of psychology issue that indy guys struggle to lose. He's not exactly Mr. Charisma, but no worse than some guys on the roster.

There never used to be an issue with bringing someone directly in from a smaller place and seeing how they did. Some guys have flopped, but some have flown - but the same can be said of developmental guys. Lots of workers have come up from smaller or international promotions and been thrown into the mix and maintained their star or even improved upon it. Alberto Del Rio avoided FCW and looks at home in WWE. RVD had a fairly 'indy' style but managed to rein it in and make himself into the big deal we all suspected he could be.

That said, watching last night's Raw it was amusing to see Bray Wyatt cover Big E, remembering both guys were in developmental recently. The man who broke the streak was under Cornette's tutelage in OVW for a while. Even the current WWE champion, a man with a resume as good as/perhaps better than Devitt's, had a period in Florida too.

So, remembering this isn't exclusively about Devitt - it could be about anyone really - do WWE need to send everyone down to Full Sail for seasoning - or can some guys (without previous big US fed experience) still walk through the door and become stars?

 

[Gibby]

(ADR was in FCW, but my question/point stands)

 

[Sid Schmid]

It's a good question. I think a lot of it depends on how a wrestler's current style meshes with the WWE style. If their move set and look is already tailor-made for the main roster then I see no reason why they can't bypass developmental.

It also depends on the gimmick. The WWE clearly likes to create their own gimmicks and characters. Using your example of Prince Devitt, chances are he won't be using that name when he debuts in the WWE. The only way to finely tune a new gimmick is in developmental. There are a ton of examples of this, Wyatt, Rollins, Cesaro etc. At the moment El Generico, Pac and Sami Callahan are all building characters much different from their indie days.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It depends on a few things, such as a wrestler's experience, age, familiarity with various styles, if there are talks of them having some bad habits that management feels they need to work on, etc.

There's been talk of IWGP star Prince Devitt signing and reports I read a while back state that the contract would specifically state he spent as specific, but brief, amount of time in NXT before heading to the main roster. In Devitt's case, if he were to wind up signing with WWE, he'd be leaving behind a pretty lucrative spot in New Japan, so it's natural that he doesn't want to spin his wheels in NXT when he'd be making good money doing what he's been doing in Japan.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

I think everyone should go through NXT. Everyone from Cesaro, to Bryan, to Del Rio have been helped by the developmental system to mix their years of experience with the WWE style. The only guy I remember not going through NXT is Sin Cara and we all know how that turned out. These guys need developmental, whether they like it or not.

 

[MoxleyCrue]

If they are getting repackaged, which nearly 100% of new signees do, then they should go through NXT. I think Devitt will be repackaged because he can work successfully across different angles.

If it was a guy like Kevin Steen, then I don't think he should go through NXT. Steen works best as the type of performer we have seen in ROH. I struggle to think of him being as successful working any other way. In a position like this I think it's a waste of time to put Steen through developmental for a significant period of time.

 

[Skyeborne]

I am pretty sure WWE's policy right now that unless it is a celebrity (which is what Sting will use to get out of it, if he even has a match), all newly signed talent has to go to development. It's why they invested so much money into the developmental program.

I think this should be done for everyone even if it is for only a month. WWE has a different wrestling style than anywhere else, and it gives the talent time to work on their characters and adapt. WWE limits movesets, and if someone is coming from Japan it's probably even more of a change going from athletic to power wrestling.

 

[ocekit]

I like the idea of wrestlers coming up through developmental, if for no other reason than to get used to the WWE system. Not every wrestler needs significant changes, but they can use the time there to adjust to the WWE style of doing things. There's new management to get used to, new wrestling styles, etc. It's also a good chance to hone your characters, moves and promos to the WWE style, and learn what's acceptable to WWE and what's unacceptable regarding both moves and promos. Some wrestlers may thrive if they're just thrown into the mix, but having a bit of extra time to adjust certainly won't hurt.

 

[ajdb]

Even though this isn't about Devitt, but I want to clear up something regarding Jack-Hammer's comment.
-Devitt was told by New Japan that despite his desire to be in the Heavyweight Title picture, he wouldn't be allowed to be a serious threat because he's too small. So he's essentially spinning his wheels in Japan now.

I think everyone going through NXT is not best for business. This is WWE's covert way of basically telling every wrestler that they are stupid because their ideas aren't good enough for WWE.

 

[HeymanHustler]

Good question. I say yes for two reasons...

One is so a new superstar is able to adapt to the WWE environment and develop their own moveset. More likely than not, most incoming guys who wrestled in other parts of the world for years (say ROH or New Japan for example) can't use their same moveset either because they need more moves that define their new WWE identity (I'm guessing they never let CM Punk use the Pepsi Plunge because it was too similar to a top rope Pedigree) or because what worked in wrestling leagues they worked in for years wouldn't really work in WWE. For example, and I'm referring specifically to, when Mistico entered under the Sin Cara character. He didn't go through developmental (at least I don't recall he did) and his moveset didn't mesh well with superstars whether it was because he botched left and right or because he was injuring himself. It wasn't that he was a bad wrestler. He was talented wrestling in Mexico. It's just the same moves he did in Mexico didn't quite cut it in WWE.

And two, to see if the character connects well with audiences. Most of the time, if they're over in NxT, it saves WWE from risking putting a character on WWE TV that no one cares about. They test it out on NxT, see if it works, and then if it does, they're put on tv. If not, it's either back to the drawing board with a new character (e.g. Husky Harris had no chance of getting over, so they put him back in developmental, then tried out the Bray Wyatt gimmick and when he was over enough to get a reaction, he was put on tv) or they stay in NxT until it does get over. If neither work out, then they'll probably be released (as was the case with Derrick Bateman, aka EC3 to TNA fans).

 

[MillionDollarDream]

In the case of Devitt, I don't think he should have to go with through NXT. He should really take a look at PAC who's spending way too much time already in NXT after making a similar transition, although he had a lot more moves to tone down. Devitt has spent the better part of 2 years working a slowed down heel moveset already that could fit with WWE's model. He's well versed in many different styles. I wish he could keep his current gimmick but WWE/TNA fans will immediately draw comparisons to Jeff Hardy's willow although they are far from the same. It also wouldn't translate immediately as to why he is such. Him and PAC as a team would also interest me and bring something different to the tag division.

 

[NegativeFeedback]

(ADR was in FCW, but my question/point stands)

Your point doesn't "still stand". There has literally been no one who made it in WWE post-2002 without going through developmental first. Very few guys have been allowed to skip it, and those who did failed big time:
• Sin Cara
• Marcus Cor Von
• Braden Walker
• The Great Khali

I don't think there's ever been a guy who skipped developmental and "made it". Sure, Khali became World Champ, but I think we all know he's been a joke for years. He's far from a success story.

 

[AnthonyM4]

I hate it when they sign ROH talent and put them in developmental for SO LONG. Tyler Black(now Seth Rollins) was there for over 2 years and El Generico(Sami Zayn) has been there for a pretty long time now. Why are Bo Dallas and Adam Rose debuting and not him? Adam Cole, who I think will be a big star one day will probably be in developmental for a long time and I wouldn't like that. I think the wrestling in ROH(in terms of in-ring work) is better than wwe. Most of the time anyway. So it's a shame when an ROH guy has to change that style to adapt to the wwe style and stay in developmental for so long and in developmental they make less money than in Indies! Isn't the reason wwe signs hot indy talent in the first place because they like what they see when they work on the indies? Rollins and Zayn were signed because wwe liked what they saw with their indy work so why change that? Why have them take a pay cut for a couple of years so they can change the style?