You're Favorite up and coming Stars on NXT???

[PowerHouse]

After seeing NXT Arrival it really got me excited for the future stars of the WWE!!! I'm just wondering what is everyones personal favorites list of guys in NXT right now. For me and in No particular order.

Adrian Neville- He very well maybe the best High flyer in Pro wrestling his moves are amazing has a great look only question is his ability on the mic. So far he has me amped!!!!

Sami Zayn- He had a phenominal match with Cesaro!!! I like his work in general.

Mojo Rawley- This guy I think could be the future face of the entire company. He has all the goods and is solid in the ring and decent on the mic.

The Ascension- This guys are a BADA&& tag team and even at this point I think they could be brought up to the main roster and pushed to the top of the Tag Team Division. They very much remind me of the old Road Warrior/ Demolishtion type tag teams.

Alexander Rousev- Absolute POWERHOUSE of a man with a level of Agility the WWE hasn't seen in a monster type!!!! I like his gimmick so far and I think the female Manager works well. I think this guy along with Rawley and Neville are all future World Heavyweight Champions.

 

[Gibby]

My friends and I have a bit of a meme between us, which is #AllInForRawley. I can't explain it but we're all at a loss to whether we think the guy is going to flop phenomenally hard or is an absolute money-printing device on legs. He's the kind of guy you build on paper, isn't he? Legit sports cred, big physique, can talk. I actually don't know how I feel about him. Think the smarks will try to bury him to be honest.

Zayn and Neville are obvious picks here, no need to add to their pile of praise. Excellent, excellent wrestlers, some flaws here and there, but who hasn't. Paige is also fantastic, I'm not sure her anti-diva shtick is entirely original or compelling (i. it's a bit Daffney and ii. being pale and having dark hair but, err, showing off your 'physique' is hardly 'anti' the sexualised diva element. Not that I object massively, but come on) but her matches and character work are really quite something.

I'm excited about the prospects for Bull Dempsey and Solomon Crowe. I just had a quick refresher at the NXT roster because I'm not a regular viewer and realised that (warning: unfair criticism on developmental guys) my basic fear re: the Performance Centre is manifesting itself - very sterile guys with good looks shunted into gimmicks that ring false all over the place; WWE are SO hit and miss with coming up with names for guys in their desperation to own all the gimmicks. 'Sawyer Fulton', 'Sylvester Lefort', ugh.

 

[WarroBODFan]

Honestly? Paige.

I'm not going to sit here and tear the whole Total Divas movement to shreds. It's really not as bad as people try to make it out to be, but it's still a pretty crappy show. Many people hate on it just because many others do, that it's what they're supposed to do. But I'm still an advocate of the anti-diva, something Paige preaches.

Not going to say I'm tired of AJ Lee as champion, but she's fighting a losing battle being one of the only divas not part of the reality show, and basically the only anti-diva. It's probably helped her by not being on it to be honest, but you know they're short of material when they've dragged Cameron out for not one, but two godawful title matches. Yes, Naomi will be the next champion when she's back from injury. But what after that?

Paige is young (21 I believe), hot, talented in and out the ring, and most importantly, British. Seriously though, she's got a lot going for her. Plenty of options for her going forward, she can play a face or a heel. But either way she'll push the anti-diva thing, and it'll work for her.

I know nobody really cares about the Divas division, but you have to admit it will be nice to get some more fresh blood into it. Just a shame the majority of WWE crowds are sheltered from NXT. E.g. I don't think what they're currently doing with Emma is exactly a success right now.

 

[thebigbadfox]

Sami is the obvious choice here.... and Paige is great! That submission is different and that is what I look for today.... moves that are creative and new.
But come on MOJO? He is terrible... he is so raw and needs so much work.... I do not know what everyone sees in him. Maybe in 3-5 years we may see him evolve and get better. His moves are sloppy, no flow, and his finisher is just flat terrible

 

[sTyLnK]

Never been able to watch NXT and if I have, I never have the time to watch it when it's on. Caught a few parts of it last week on Youtube and had no idea who anyone was. But Adrian Neville seemed awesome and the women's match was ridiculously good. I'll remember all those names moving forward.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Everyone is jumping on the Zayn bandwagon but frankly I put Neville ahead of him by a long way. Forgetting the UK thing for a second, I'll be back to it though...

The guy looks good in the ring and has the right mix of swagger (the trait not the man) and wow factor. People are calling his mic skills into question largely for the same reason they call Drew's or Mason Ryan's into question... American's struggle with UK dialects...

Barrett and Regal are ok because they are able to deflect enough from their natural accents... Regal off camera and on has two distinct accents... Onscreen he uses a "posh" accent but off he is a full on Northern English "bloke".

It's a skill that some of the best British actors can't master so when a guy like Mason Ryan or Neville come in with a strong dialect like Adrian's "Geordie" twang then people don't try to understand. They just assume that all his time is going into learning to talk how they think he should talk for an English guy... Take the Bulldog... he was as northern English as it came, Dynamite even more so... did it ever harm them? Hell no.

They've just given Neville the ball big time... sure he might not be the main roster just yet, but he is the next (no pun) one to move up and probably bringing that belt with him. The sheer potential of him working with Rey before he goes and that "torch passing" makes it almost a guarantee... If Bourne can work half what he did (and I'm not convinced he will be flying when he comes back, that his delay is cos he had to learn a new style) then he can be a great opponent... Kidd too but I think it'll be the Kofi's, RVD's and Jericho's Neville will be facing right off the bat.

Zayn has almost as much... except his look is what is going to cause problems... They have a ginger bearded guy already and he's bigger, meaner and more over... They can't really put him as Sheamus's brother or cousin etc so he's gonna look a little silly if they don't tweak it... like a Mini-Me almost. Ability wise he is phenomenal, just like Neville... but it's the degrees... Neville has a much better allround skillset, a unique style and the hook of being English.

WWE still want that massive English star to break through... Barrett could still be that with a face turn and some ring time but failing that Neville is the kind of guy who British fans will get behind, flock to see when on these shores and in 2-3 years time could headline that long rumored Summerslam at Wembley and win the World title...

Paige is perhaps the 2nd most likely for similar reasons, but remember we have had a few English Divas now, most notably Layla... Where Paige is going to score is that she is light years ahead of anyone WWE has found in the ring... She is better than Lita ever was now, she is light years ahead of Trish when she debuted and even at her peak. Her big problem will be finding equally talented women for her to work against to showcase her properly... I wouldn't be shocked to see a Mickie James or even Tara or Molly Holly return, similar to how they would draft Moolah in to face whoever the womens champ was back in the day. At worst case they have a new "hottie" who will be able to work and more importantly help others train as her family have been training wrestlers and working with them for donkey's years... at best they get the woman who redefines women's wrestling.

 

[TheVolFan52]

Sami Zahn, Sami Zahn, Sami Zahn, Sami Zahn, and Sami Zahn. Seriously I love this guy. I was impressed with most of the guys though in all honesty. Rusev is pretty impressive for his size and speed.

 

[MattRhys20]

I honestly cannot keep it down to 1 person. There are so many people down in NXT that I just absolutely love:

Big Cass and Enzo Amore: Lots of people say that NXT is the future, but these two guys are THE future. They have got their characters down to a T, excellent in the ring and really connect with the crowd

Paige: Gorgeous, British, talented, British, has a wrestling pedigree in terms of her heritage, British. I cannot find any faults with this girl

Adrian Neville: Same as Paige (except the gorgeous bit)

Aiden English: I just hope he keeps this character if he makes it to the big time. Trust me, he won't be lost in the whole Khali, Santino etc dancing gimmick (except with signing), he will be great and WILL be world champion

The Ascension: I remember saying about a year ago, that if the timing worked out, that Connor O'Brian should be the one to end The Streak (I realise that may be a bit foolish), but they have got a great tag team going with the whole cult gimmick (Rick Victors eyes scare me whenever they show the 'coming up next' shot)

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Some comments on names that have been mentioned:

Mojo - I agree that he needs a new finisher ASAP. A 300 pound guy doing the "earthquake" splash is lame. Leave that for the super-heavyweights.
He's far from ready but he has the "It" factor. He can talk, he has the look, he's big, he has an athletic pedigree, I see big things from him in a few years. Not even close to being ready, but if he makes improvements in the ring (which is the point of the developmental system), he has star written all over him.

Zayn- he is ready for the main roster now. His match with Cesaro last week was incredible.

The Ascenscion - we haven't had an ultra-aggresive "monster" tag team come through in a long time and I think they should get the call-up shortly after WM. I use "monster tag team" loosely because Viktor really isn't that big, but Konor is a beast. The tag division is about to hit a transition phase w/ teams breaking up (Real Americans, the Shield, most likely Cody & Goldust), and the New Age Outlaws aren't going to be on TV for much longer.

Paige- I don't care for Divas wrestling, I just don't. But since they DO have a Divas division, it's good to see someone who can work and isn't just there because she's a piece of ass. Not a fan of the pasty goth look, but it helps her stand out at least.

 

[CeramicDuck]

Corey Graves is someone to keep an eye on as well... i think he will fill in the Randy Orton role in the future and be a great antagonist for guys like zayne and neville on the main roster...

on the flip side i think bo dallas is an nxt lifer

 

[Tom]

How come no one's mentioned Tyler Breeze!? That dude is awesome! His entrance, theme and character is just awesome. He's hilarious and I'd go far to say he's brilliant in the ring.

I'll also jump on the band wagon and say Sami Zayn too. He's in a league of his own and his matches with Cesaro have been 5 star. I'll probably get hated for this but I don't think much of Neville. His skill in the ring is amazing but I just dislike his look and his mic skills. I'm hoping he grows on me some day, but until then I'll stick to my fondness of him. Another guy who I despised is Bo Dallas. I hated it when they called him up last year, but he's really found himself when he became a heel. I love his character and I think i'd even class myself as a BOliever.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I must admit that I haven't caught much NXT until recently. With that being said I like Enzo and Big Cass. I could see them taking the tag titles from the Ascension and hopefully one day move up to the big leagues and take over the tag division.

 

[GoatfaceKiller]

Sami Zayn - Where is this guy? Wait, what...still in NXT? He needs to COME ON DOWN (hehe, Price is Right reference) and snatch the US Title away from Dean Ambrose. That, or the WWE needs to go ahead and forge a Television Title so that the new and mid-card talent can look strong again. I'm sorry, but this "era" isn't even HALF as good as the Attitude Era was. I understand that without suitable competition, the WWE is going to sloth around and just kinda be satisfied in churning out a product...NO, that is NOT satisfactory. Some things need to change, and that's one of them, IMO. Have another stepping stone for people like Zayn for when they are still up-and-comers...and for guys like Ziggler, Henry, and Ryder (to name a few) that look like they're just going to linger and take up spots for a time. Like Mean Gene would say - "Give me a break!"

Adrian Neville - Sorry I got off on a tangent with Zayn...won't happen again! Neville is a better flyer than Rey Mysterio could have ever hoped of being. If the WWE thinks that's not saying something, they're about 5 beers short of a 6 pack. He's got the stuff to be able to adapt to any type of opponent and match, really...except maybe a New Jack style hardcore weapons bloodbath. EVERY single aerial maneuver I've ever seen him perform is done with grace and accuracy. It's just perfect, what can I say? As far as I can tell, he doesn't injure opponents with poorly timed or placed moves. All he needs now is a bit of mic-work and he'll be just fine...MORE than just fine, actually.

Paige - Divas don't have to be great mic-workers; that's an immediate attraction with bringing Paige up. Emma does a dance. AJ is a psycho. Timina is a bodyguard (not to mention daughter of Superfly). Natalya is an expert mat technician (wonder why that is). Cameron/Naomi are great athletes and dancers. Point being, Paige can do what she's doing now and just polish that up a bit, and crowds will actually REACT to her, and more than they do for Emma at that. Literally the ONLY Diva that gets reaction right now...is the one holding the title. It's sad, and it'll only stay sad the longer Paige is NOT on the main roster.

Bayley - Call me crazy if you want, but Bayley is the ONLY Diva right now in NXT that is completely immersed in her character...and it engulfs her, and you can tell that it does. I'm sure we've only seen the tip of the iceberg as far as her mat skills are concerned...but she doesn't have to change a THING about her persona and fans would react to her. Oh, it doesn't hurt that DAMN she's cute.

Mojo Rawley - Ok, decent gimmick. He does look the part. But PLEASE...just please...get a new finisher. I could see him using a running DDT or something like that...maybe even a top rope diving maneuver (flying, twisting lariat)...but not that LAME-ASS, 30 year old, Earthquake match ender.

Alexander Rusev - Ivan Drago much? Keep the rough edgy look...keep the manager/valet...do like Rawley though and change the finisher. Camel Clutch is out. Maybe that Stomach Slam that he did to Woods on Arrival...MAYBE.

Bo Dallas - Guess he lost the Title so now he's going up and gonna be on RAW/SD...? Hoo boy...I hope for his sake that the major league crowds can start "Bo"lieveing before too long, or he'll have to change his schtick real fast. Oh, and by the way...Shane Douglas had trouble making the Belly to Belly legit. Bo Dallas has NO chance of that in the WWE. Another big boy gotsta change dat finisher!

 

[rosey34]

I honestly haven't watched NXT since the original episode of it with Daniel Bryan, Wade Barrett, etc. on it until I watched Arrival last week. I thought it was a fantastic way to kick off the network and show off some of the great talent they have. That being said, Sami Zayn but on an awesome match with Cesaro and I love that many of them are willing to take risks and get noticed like Neville did! It shows some promise! The divas looked good too. Looking forward to having NXT to watch regularly now!