Who Would You Choose as NXT's Gatekeeper?

[MTL722]

For those confused by the terminology, the term "Gatekeeper" in sports denotes an individual that is considered the last step towards the elite. If you can defeat them or, even fail valiantly, you can then be considered a top tier talent

For this thread, I want you to pick one active wrestler who you'd put in NXT to help put over incoming talent. Most of NXT is comprised of seasoned vets who've paid their dues, but havent proved anything to the WWE Universe. Guys like Balor, Zayn, Itami, Samoa Joe etc.

Now for my choice, I'm thinking it's got to be a heel that can garner nuclear heat from the Full Sail crowd. All the NXT guys I named are face right now, they need a solid heel. That's why I'm going with Randy Orton

Imagine the arrogance Orton can go down there with. He wants less road time, NXT is just a high paid vacation, He's already done everything and achieved more before the age of 25 than anyone down there has. Joe is a year older than Orton, Itami and Balor are only a year younger. The casual fan doesn't know these guys, but they know who Orton is.

I think it'd be a great way to get any NXT holdouts to finally see what they're missing. A guy who they know is legit, against a guy people are saying is legit. Who'd be your NXT gatekeeper?

 

[timothy26]

I kind of like the idea but on the other hand I don't want NXT to become "about" an established star. Having him there simply takes time away from the NXT talent which kind of goes against the point of having NXT.

I think in some ways John Cena was that guy for Owens when he came up to the main roster whilst still NXT champ, which I think is a better move, have a guy do everything they can do in NXT then come up to the main roster and start in a feud against an established guy.

The other thing is if NXT is still running at a loss, then the company wouldn't be making any money from a guy like Orton, who they are paying as a top star, so that would be a bad move financially

 

[TheBadGuy92]

NXT already has its gatekeeper, Tyler Breeze. He is the top guy that is out of the title picture. I do like the Orton idea though.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

As the bad guy said, "NXT already has a gatekeeper" and that's Tyler Breeze. I would also classify Samoa Joe as a NXT "gatekeeper" as well considering wwe will most likely not use him on the main roster as much.

If I had to pick someone from the main roster though I would pick Dolph Ziggler. He's not going any further than he already has and he's been stuck in the same position for a while now. So I would send him down to NXT and so he could really Show Off. I wouldn't put much emphasis on it but I would use Ziggler in NXT similar to how the Undertaker was used on Smackdown for so long. Taker was the test veteran to see if a "monster" was ready(Khali, Kozlov, Brock Lesnar) or if an up-and-coming main eventer was ready(Punk, Orton, Edge, Batista). I would use Ziggler in a similar way like that operating in the "shadows".

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

I would use Big Show because he can fluctuate between storylines on both shows. Also, he'd be helping the young guys a lot more than the guys on the Main Roster because beating him on the Main Roster now is more like a move sideways than a push toward the Main Event. Book Big Show as a special attraction on NXT shows.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Chris Jericho. That's your gatekeeper.

While I agree with timothy26 that NXT shouldn't be about an established star, I think it would be valid for a part timer to fill the role. Beyond that, Chris Jericho constantly shows up exclusively to put someone over on WWE TV to the point t of tedium. However, they could exploit that very attribute on NXT. Jericho could play the role of an enthused veteran who genuinely WANTS to be beaten, and "insure" the future of the WWE, but he ain't going down without a fight. It's a valid role for Jericho. His two weaknesses on WWE TV are working part time (therefore not developing momentum) and putting over EVERYONE (therefore not having any credibility left for whoever beats him next). i would consider these attributes to be strengths in a gatekeeper role on NXT.

Beyond that, Jericho has bounced between heel and face seamlessly throughout his career. If he's there to work with faces and heels, than he can play the foil to either.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

From a realistic perspective, I'd probably go with Chris Jericho as well.

The past several years have ultimately revolved around Jericho being used to put over younger talent; Jericho not only doesn't mind doing it, he enjoys doing it as he knows what it's like to be a young up & comer with all the potential in the world only for established stars not wanting to help him progress.

The idea of Randy Orton isn't a bad one, especially when you consider that Orton looks as though he may be starting down a similar road in which he begins elevating younger talent. However, I don't think it's all that realistic at this point; I've a feeling that both WWE & Orton feel that there are a few years left to squeeze significant money out of Orton programs. For instance, I wouldn't mind seeing Orton steered towards the tag team scene, if there's someone on the roster he has the right chemistry with, or the IC title picture. Maybe when he's a few years closer to 40 we could see something of a transition like this for Orton.

 

[ShinChan]

I agree with Randy Orton or Chris Jericho......
They both can easily put over the nxt guys.......

Fingers Crossed!

 

[HollyWoodHale]

I certainly agree with Jericho, Orton maybe in a year or 2?

I think it would be beneficial for Swagger and Kane if they dropped down to NXT too.

 

[Trill Co$by]

I'm not too fond of the Orton idea... Orton is way too much money to be sending to NXT. At best, he'd have to be going to face someone that they consider to be the next Orton. I like the Jericho idea, but the guy is losing his luster. If he's going to stay a legend, he needs to win more when he returns. Instead, I'd like to propose someone who I believe is a modern day Christian in The Miz.

The Miz is hardly ever doing anything as it is, and when he IS on Raw it's to do his stupid segment. I love The Miz, but I hate the in-ring talk show segments. They're overdone and way too boring. They've become the new contract signing. But as a wrestler, as someone who can go with a lot of people... I'd have to say that The Miz is quite honestly one of the more brilliant stars of the modern era. He's able to switch from irrelevant to relevant in a matter of seconds and to put him in a position as the Gatekeeper, it would be pretty cool to see. I'd like to see what he'd do with guys like Joe, Balor, Apollo, etc.

And possibly, WWE could do a tag team version as well. Maybe they could use PTP for that slot?