WWE shouldn't even consider capitalizing on their past popularity. It's over and done with. This is a new company.
Should the talents be pushed solely based on the fact that they were successful elsewhere? Obviously not. They should earn their stripes in WWE. But to just completely say, "It doesn't matter what they did before. They need to restart." is just ignorant. Just because it's a new company doesn't mean their past is irrelevant. It means they can carry those fans with them. Fans who may have not watched WWE before, but will now because they're favorite wrestlers are in the company. The entire reason KENTA got signed is because he's a mega star in Japan. So no, WWE shouldn't push them because they're indy stars, but they shouldn't just ignore it either. It really bugs me when they do that. They should push them because they're good talents, which they have proven elsewhere. If you sign a talent who has had success elsewhere, why wouldn't you factor it in to who they are. That's what UFC does. They don't focus only on a person's UFC career. If UFC has a former PRIDE Champion, or a former Strikeforce champion, they let people know. By telling people that this talent has been successful elsewhere, it gives that talent a level of credibility. Should they bill these guys just as Indy stars? No. Should they completely start over? No. I think they've done a fine job so far. They've done it with Zayn and Neville, and they'll do it with the other three. All they have to do is say, "This guy has had success around the world. He's spent years working, and now he's come here to take that next step up." And then build from there. If you have an asset such as the history of these performers, why would you ignore it and handicap not the only performers, but also yourself. WWE shouldn't consider capitalizing on their past popularity. They should just use it as an advantage that they already have.
As far as the idea for the group goes, I like it a lot. But I just don't feel it is necessary. Zayn and Nevill have done fantastic jobs on their own. And I have all the reasons in the world to believe Steen, Devitt, and KENTA will do the same. They would probably all be better served doing their own thing, and building their own identity. Not to mention given the similarities with Nexus and the Shield, it may come off as a little repetitive. Probably wouldn't but you never know. Besides, as people have stated before, some of these guys are faces, some of them should be heels. Steen is no doubt better as a heel. Prince Devitt is a great heel too. Adrian Neville's style is a baby face style. He can't do all his moves and be a heel. And that's his gimmick. There's no reason to make him a heel and change his style. Same with Zayn. He can be like Rey Mysterio or Ricky Steamboat. A career babyface. And given KENTA's status as a Japanese Superstar, it may be better off leaving him face to help business in Japan. It may be a cool idea a few years down the road, after they've all made their main roster debuts and created their own identities to put them together and say, "We are the leaders of this new generation, and together we will show everyone why we are the best in this industry." Just my ideas.
