Too many new guys at once?

[LionheartY2J]

I'm sure that to those who follow NXT closely, this is the best thing ever. But to me, I feel as though Appolo Crews, Baron Corbin, and Big Cass were kind of wadded up and thrown in my face. Add in guys like Sami Zayne, Tyler Breeze, and Braun Stroman, and it's starting to feel like WCW Thunder when you can't tell the next big thing from the card carrying jobber.

I know that there's been hype surrounding each and every one of these guys, and that many of them have an existing track record and fan base from either NXT and/or the Indie circuit but can't they ever just pace themselves anymore? I'm all for adding in young talent, just spread it out a little bit.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

It usually happens at this time of year. Expect a few roster members to be future endeavoured soon.

I'm not sure Corbin will be on the main roster, seems like a strange debut without him being properly introduced. I would expect him to continue with Aries a bit in NXT.

Tyler Breeze hasn't done anything recently.

I reckon Zayn was called up to start a program with owens as that could be golden now. Massive payoff for that down the line I reckon after the NXT stories.

At the same time, as they bring people into NXT, they have to make room for them. The point in NXT is to progress to the main roster. With recent additions of Nakamura, and Aries. Potentially what could be Bobby Roode after the weekend, along with Ballor and the rest of the bullet club, people need to move on.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

How many of these call ups are going to be relevant? Tag teams are cyclical so you can push Enzo and Cass now and barely feature them months down the line. Also Raw is three hours long and I don't know about you guys but I'd appreciate a break from the monotony of Miz, Stardust and Ziggler matches.

 

[Navi]

I'm glad they are there, shake up the roster a bit. We still have a lot of people out with injuries and the new guys can fill in some gaping holes. Like Styles getting a title shot.

One of the biggest questions coming out of Mania was "Who will Roman feud with?" We got our answer last night. I think the new call ups will be a great addition, especially Enzo and Cass. That Enzo is fire on the mic, looking forward to his promo's.

 

[AegonTargaryen]

I just finished watching Raw. It's like 6 pm here in India. (I prefer to not watch it live at 6 am on tuesdays on account of too many commercials and it drags on for like 4 hrs, whereas Ten Sports HD airs a 2.5 hr version with far less commercials twice on Tuesday, and a 2 hr version thrice on Wednesdays).

What I realized is that I enjoyed today's show whereas I had this sickening feeling of boredom and apathy in the last 4 weeks on account of which I skipped almost ALL of Raws excluding a segment or two.

One of the factors why I enjoyed was the new guys from NXT, the tall Baron Corbin guy especially. The dude seemed to scream charisma and personality to me (quite unlike Roman Reigns). I have never watched NXT so this was only the first time I got acquainted with his character, and I quite liked him.

Also, like Navi pointed out, The Enzo guy sounded pretty good on the mic. This is the first time I found a debuting tag team to be interesting in a non-wrestling role, as personalities, in YEARS. So I'm pretty much looking forward to seeing them.

On a side note, the KO interview segment was hilarious and KO is so MORE THAN READY to already be a maineventer (again, unlike Ambrose and Reigns)...the guy is a fucking genius..almost reminds of the raw uninhibited masculinity of Steve Austin(before he became a star)...unlike that idiot Dean Ambrose.

The fatal 4-way was excellent. AJ Styles' win was cool. Though I feel Jericho would make a better opponent for Reigns right now..if he's only going to be a babyface. But may be he won't because he did exhibit this douchebag-ish aspect in the segment today...which was quite a relief. Hell, I even enjoyed watching/hearing Roman Reigns, as intermittently awkward and clumsy he seems most of the time.

Oh, and Cesaro is back! May be the April-July season until Summerslam this year won't be the snoozefest of monotony that it usually is every year..

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Meh. I wouldn't say I enjoyed all of them equally but I didn't feel overwhelmed by their presence and I certainly didn't miss anyone who would have normally gotten their spots. It was a terrific Raw. I can remember four new names.

And it is cool not knowing who is going to be a big deal vs who is going to be the next big jobber.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

It pretty much doesn't make any differece anyway, baron corbin, apollo crews, , big cass.& enzo and the vaudevillains will probably be the nexr crop of superstars to be regulars on main event and superstars so does debut we're great but in the long run they will suffer the same fate as most nxt stars that are called up

 

[Bischoff's Knob Slobberer]

I gotta admit, that Enzo cat is dynamite on the mic. I'm intrigued by him and Cass. Corbin seems legit. The rest I could care less about. Crews is a Neville clone, and Neville hasn't done shit since been called up. Tyler Breez hasn't done shit either but job every week.

I'd rather listen to Enzo on the mic, ("I'm a certified G, and bonafide stud." Awesome line..reminds me of myself) then the buffoonery and coonery antics of the New Day. New Day were funny once, but now they are just annoying and not remotely funny anymore. I turn the channel whenever those morons speak.

So who gets cut from the main roster? Sandow, Swagger, Xavier Woods, Titus O'Neill (slapped the taste out of Vince's mouth and got suspended) all of the social outkasts, and Rusev, should all be sweating bullets..........

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

but in the long run they will suffer the same fate as most nxt stars that are called up

I disagree, Wwe has done a great job with most of the nxt stars that have been called up.
Success- Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins, Cesaro, Wyatts, Paige, Sasha, Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Owens, Woods and Big E
Fail- Rose, Bo, Ascension, Emma(1st run)
I left out Neville, Rusev, Zayn, Breeze(?), and Kalisto because I wouldn't consider them successful but they are far from failures.

As for as the new crop of guys that debuted last night, I'm intrigued. I'm not an avid watcher of Nxt, but I keep up with it and I will say they all bring something different to the table.
Crews- I wish they would leave him in NXT for another year or two. He's missing something, but when they find/fix it, he will be ready. He's full of talent, passionate, and eager to learn. I do feel like they gave him the match on Raw as a test run, as I think he will be given a main event push some time down the line. Many speak highly of him (HHH, Bloom, J.R).

Corbin- He's a more complete Roman Reigns. He doesn't have the "look" that Reigns has, but his character and ring work is better. There are plenty of ways wwe could use Corbin, either taking out the "old school titans" of wwe and prove his dominance or continue his Indy/(IWC darling) destroyer character. With so many Indy talents, I doubt wwe will let Corbin(home grown talent) fail so easily.
Enzo&Cass- Their reaction last night says it all! The crowd was "dead" for the Dudleys and The Usos. Enzo&Cass comes out and they get arguably the loudest reaction of the night. They also really impressed in their match at Roadblock. Great big guy/little guy team moves.
Sucks that New Day are faces now, though.

The Vaudevillians- these are the ones I fear for. It isn't a very good sign when Wwe debuts you on Smackdown. I think a feud against the Lucha Dragons(or Usos) would be the best option for them as there's a pretty good contrast between both teams. We will just have to watch and see, hopefully they don't end up like the Ascension.

 

[MWRedskins]

honestly, i can't answer how i feel about Crews. i'm sure he's got talent, but i was more wanting/expecting Joe to debut and wanted to see his debut with a US title or IC title win and i still hope to see that. my hope is that Ryder regains the IC title on Smackdown and that Joe either wins that title or the US title and if he wins the US title, keep the IC title on Ryder. however, my guess is that Miz is holding the title till another face takes it from him.

as for the others. Zayn is more than ready for the WWE main roster and he's not some guy you would see on Thunder since he's outstanding in the ring. i feel like Breeze is being used badly and my hope is that he eventually forms a tag team with Miz. Stroman is just a Wyatt Family guy, so i have no issue with him. i think Corbin has talent, but again, i dont know if he's a guy i love yet. as for Cass and Enzo. i like them and i'm glad they debuted and unlike another company. WWE has a ton of tag teams now.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

As long as you remember that not everyone is going to be the next big thing, then I don't think there were too many new guys at all. Enzo & Cass can introduce a fresh perspective to the tag team picture, Enzo is great on the mic and has a ton of energy to spare. While Cass doesn't have quite the same gift of gab, he's not bad on the mic and he's not remotely as one dimensional as most near 7 foot guys are generally portrayed.

Apollo Crews is a bit too early to tell. He's agile, not as much as Neville, but he's quite agile and he's quite strong. He has a good look and a great build, so I imagine Vince is quite pleased. In terms of charisma, I haven't seen a whole lot on NXT to impress me. He's not bland really, I think he's got potential, but I think it'll take some time for his personality to come out.

Baron Corbin is someone that's said to have a good number of supporters among WWE officials and Corbin has come quite a long way. Inside the ring, I doubt he's ever going to be up to the standards of guys like Crews, Owens, Zayn, Cesaro or Styles, but he's much better than most guys you'll see his size.

All in all, it's a good crop of guys who were called up and time can only tell how they'll do. As I alluded to earlier, however, not every guy is gonna be a huge breakout star; just because you're being brought up from NXT isn't some automatic guarantee that you're headed straight to the top of the card.

 

[TheBadGuy92]

Two of my favorites debuting in the same night?! I might actually start watching Raw and Smackdown again! After following Enzo and Cass and Corbin on NXT and Breaking ground for a long time now..for everyone who doesnt know them, youre in for a treat!!

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I don't think this many new talents have debuted in a week since The Nexus. Before that, maybe not since the WCW purchase.

But just like the Nexus, we've seen all of these guys before in NXT. It's just the good version of NXT, not the reality show version.

It's not like they're debuting six jobbers in generic tights. That's what it is, six guys, two singles acts, and two tag teams. Only two new acts per division for a total of six characters.

Enzo and Cass were the most over easily. Granted, it was the post-WrestleMania crowd, which is generally a smarter crowd well versed in NXT, but they were over nonetheless.

Is there a such thing as too many talents? If the Nexus was the model for too many guys, then maybe? Tarver is gone, Otunga went nowhere, Gabriel is gone. Young and Slater have been low to midcard guys. Ryback and Barrett have underperformed in the mid to upper card. Daniel Bryan was in it for a night and is the only true legend in the group.

I don't think there's a such thing as too many. Inevitably some will sink or swim. I worry about how green Corbin is and how similar he is to Roman Reigns.

Here's the thing, they're not all going to be world champions. They're not all going to be pushed after their initial pushes. They're not total strangers or overtly complex gimmicks either. The main roster is hurting for new stars, so why not give them a chance.

My big question is, is there really a such thing as too many? A person may be of the opinion that there is too many, but is there any concrete evidence other than "I don't like it" that proves that there is a such thing as too many debuts at once?

 

[Olan]

I was thinking the same thing. I am all for new blood but 6 at one time and 2 more supposedly on SD does seem a bit to much.

No Carmella?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There's no more talents debuting than in previous years... it just seems that others were "ahead" because they have bigger names.

Crews was the "surprise" but reality is if there is nothing more he can learn at the PC, and he's not a promintent NXT guy, then it makes sense to move him up. Enzo and Cass could have debuted last year and Corbin is as ready as he's ever going to be... he'll pummel Kalisto for the US soon enough.

Zayn doesn't count as new... he moved up, got hurt, so that's why it seems he's new... it helps rather than hinders him but he's instantly "a cut above" an normal NXT rookie, just as Corbin is now winning the Battle Royale.

Since that first period when they brought the Wyatts up, they bring an average 4-6 talents up in the weeks after Mania... last year alone we got Owens, Neville & The Lucha Dragons, Charlotte, Sasha & Becky... year prior Ascension, Bo Dallas Rusev & Paige...

They've just chosen to move Crews ahead of a more obvious name like Balor, Joe or Austin Aries. Why? Cos those names on NXT mean it'll sell shows... Joe, AA and Roode if he signs won't be going near the main roster - not for a while... their job is to hold NXT fans attention while the stock of talent is raided... so fans don't notice that Enzo and Big Cass and the like aren't there anymore.

Releasewise, there's likely to be some bloodshed very soon... Ryder could still be going and that Mania moment a "thank you" or acknowledgement of the hard work and shit he's taken. More likely is Mojo comes up and they work as a team going forward.

Barrett is either on his way out, or they're relenting and giving him a face push to convince him to stay... and there is talk of another mid-carder (apparently Titus) who is also not re-signing so will be gone this year...

Kane, Mark Henry, Goldust & R-Truth all likely just had their last Mania... hence the way the battle royale was structured. - Show probably has his payday match with Shaq at 33 and retires. That's a lot of spots to fill or about to need filling. They lost Sting, they're always one step off losing Taker and the one thing this year taught them is "better to have too much talent" on the roster than not enough...

 

[Prince Vee]

I can be sure that, this is just a trouble for WWE. Maybe momentarily it might can make the WWE to connect well with the fans and give the IWC their demands answered at one stage. But the problem will be when the injured stars return. We have plenty of stars injured, battled and bruised and waiting to return. When that happens, let's say in 3 months, WWE will run of ideas on how to book all of them at once. You might've seen that in the divas division when the three of horsewomen debuted. WWE ran out of ideas quite quickly until Nikki Bella injured herself and Paige out with an apparent injury. Else we would've never seen a great Wrestlemania triple threat match. WWE will let themselves in an intricate position if they try to push all these stars at once.

 

[nwocongo]

I was wondering the same thing. What happen's when everyone else returns from injury? Look what happened to Breeze and the Acension less than a month after being called up. At first this seemed to me like they were just pandering to the NXT crowd and the chanting humanoids but I thought it out a little more and obviously, this is the time of year they make some roster adjustments. I don't see Zack Ryder getting much more air time on the main shows in the near future. Of the guys who debuted last night, I think Crews, Cass and maybe Enzo depending on the direction they take with him and Cass, are the only ones who will make any big waves in the long term, at least I hope so. I'm really not thrilled with anything I've seen from Corbin but it seems like he has some supporters behind the scenes so he'll probably be getting a push as long as he keeps improving in the ring.

 

[ztwhite]

All the call-ups scream for another brand split, which has been rumored for quite some time.

Little chance they'll do it, but the 'E' should make Smackdown all about the ladies and tag team wrestling. Would it be good for ratings? Probably not.

There's enough singles competitors to fill 3-hours of Raw, between the promos and actual matches. The biggest worry would be whether the writers are creative enough to develop storylines for everyone.

But the biggest reason all these guys are getting called up is due to the influx of talent in NXT. The 'E' keeps signing guys and gals to contracts, but only provide an hour of TV (Network) time each week. Where are they going to put them?

Apollo Crews, Finn Bálor, Baron Corbin, Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode (eventually), Bayley, Asuka, Emma, Carmella, Nia Jax, The Vaudevillains, Enzo & Cass, The Revival, and American Alpha.

Just look at that list of names, which is admittedly missing several. How the hell do you fit all of that into an hour? I wouldn't be surprised if NXT eventually expands to 2-hours. If I had control (which will never, EVER happen), I'd swap out Smackdown for NXT on USA.

 

[achromat666]

Between the injuries (Rollins, Orton, Neville are still out, still leaving us with a depleted upper midcard or main event roster) and the ending of stories after WM and the Raw after usually shaking things up I'd say this was due. Not sure how Corbin will do (his promo was just badly delivered, and he's still learning) but the rest of the guys called up should be fine. Zayn and Apollo Crews are ready and should be huge faces for the company, Sawft and the Vaudevillains need to shake up the tag division.

Between that and A main event number one contender match with fresh faces gunning for the world title and Styles getting the win finally we can at least see some new talented faces.

 

[kadroan]

It usually happens at this time of year. Expect a few roster members to be future endeavoured soon.

I'm not sure Corbin will be on the main roster, seems like a strange debut without him being properly introduced. I would expect him to continue with Aries a bit in NXT.

Tyler Breeze hasn't done anything recently.

I reckon Zayn was called up to start a program with owens as that could be golden now. Massive payoff for that down the line I reckon after the NXT stories.

At the same time, as they bring people into NXT, they have to make room for them. The point in NXT is to progress to the main roster. With recent additions of Nakamura, and Aries. Potentially what could be Bobby Roode after the weekend, along with Ballor and the rest of the bullet club, people need to move on.

I figured they may have Ziggler feud with Corbin. Corbin didn't get a clean win over Ziggler. Ziggler is at the point of his career, where he probably won't win a world title again but he could help put younger talent like Miz and Jericho have been doing.

Breeze is screwed.

 

[kadroan]

How many of these call ups are going to be relevant? Tag teams are cyclical so you can push Enzo and Cass now and barely feature them months down the line. Also Raw is three hours long and I don't know about you guys but I'd appreciate a break from the monotony of Miz, Stardust and Ziggler matches.

The US title picture is really lacking. No Ryback or Kalisto on RAW this past week. Kalisto beat ADR multiple times and beat Ryback. There's nobody really in the title picture so that's where guys like Crews and Corbin can step in at. Add vets like Ziggler (since he may be feuding with Corbin). Maybe even Kane could get in the mix since Corbin eliminated Kane to win the battle royal on Sunday.

 

[WranglerVinny]

Throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Fans these days are quick to judge and even quicker to change their minds. Look at New Day... they were booed and hated for months, and now they get laughs and cheers. What changed? Same people... same wrestling... same moves... just now with a trumpet and Booty Os.

And don't get me started on fan chants. They seem to like the corniest mottos... especially the new meat coming from NXT.

I don't get it...

 

[DCLXVI]

Apollo Crews is definitely not a Nevelle clone... he has an infectious smile, is good looking, powerful, athletic and is an African American babyface that anyone who enjoys watching professional sports would have no problem buying as a superstar. I think his deployment onto the main roster was very premature though... I would handle the guy pure baby face. Corbin has developed a natural mean streak but needs to tone up or get some new gear (he was large before and lost a ton of weight, it may be loose skin). Vaudevillains will have to serve as a comedy act a la Los Matadores and be lost in the shuffle quickly (a shame, they should have came in a year ago). Enzo and Cass - Enzo is awesome on the mic, was brought into wrestling by Triple H... and we have Big Cass who is 7 foot tall which should be plenty to capture VKM's interest. We shall see.