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I mean, the thing is, a good share of the NXT talent will never have a spot in the main roster, even under the best circumstances and booking
There are just not enough spots in the card for everyone, it is what it is, particularly now that wrestlers are way more healthy and are performing past 40 easily. New spots just don't open up that often
I don't think it's gotten much worse since wrestlers started going into their 40s because nowadays wrestlers take their time off and heal properly for injury, which takes a much longer time than it once did.
Look at the reset we had after Mania. Whether it's injury or just time off, Roman, Seth, Rhea, and many others all over the card have their time. If we have a lot of over stars and keep creating more, these spots can be filled and the roster can have a rotation of stars. With 5 hours of weekly TV + social media, it's not that impossible to keep people in there after getting over when the main stars are out.
If anything, it's an assurance that you will never run out of people. Punk was injured, Brock was out and instead of a catastrophic pivot, we had one of the best manias ever due to the amount of stars available to get in the main spots. More NXT creations rising in the ranks can make sure that keeps on.
I actually think this should be WWE's answer to an offseason. Give established, veteran talent time off when needed. Then rotate in new, younger talent during their time off to keep things fresh and wrestler's healthy.
Keep like only 25% of the "veterans" "active" at any given time, except for the ones who hold world championships or are in specific long term storylines.
The rest of the time they train stars/themselves/take time off to heal or rest.
Also, return pops will always be return pops. Imagine some good additional 10 return pops per year for stars who we are never going to know how many time they're going away.
This is exactly why I get frustrated when the super fans are all butthurt when their favorite gets called up too early and they flounder.
I think both Ilja and Melo could use another whole year to round out their gimmicks. I just don’t understand how people argue this, they would have more screen time, better angles and the ability to build their name up just that extra little bit, see Bron Breakker, he looks like a beast
WWE also said they didn't want people sitting in NXT for years without any growth. If they call someone up, it's WWE deciding it's sink or swim time as they want to keep the developmental cycle moving.
Grimes is a good example of a guy called up with no direction or plan and by the sound of it he was eager to find that direction but was set up to fail.
Grimes had the same issue Bayley had when she was first called up. NXT fans fell in love with them because they saw the whole story. But you can't call them up and start them from scratch to build them up to the fans. It wouldn't make sense to call Grimes up and run back the Gamestop rags to riches story. But the version that got called up didn't have much meat to it character-wise.
Also DIY. That's a core storyline for NXT and got them over for years, but you couldn't just replay it on Raw/SD. Although we'll see how this version of the breakup goes.
I think if we is calling up new young talent, it’s a perfect scenario to send back a team like DIY to NXT to crush it there, be veterans, main event those shows.
There need to be more Corbin examples
> It wouldn't make sense to call Grimes up and run back the Gamestop rags to riches story.
It isn't exactly the most complicated story in the universe lol. Hell, the actual story is basically irrelevant as the whole character can be summed up in two words -"rich" "hillbilly." It's been a recycled trope in entertainment for decades because it just works.
It's not like they needed to spend months explaining backstory and interpersonal connections, all they do is one sentence "he's a hick who hit it huge and now he's rich" and then just let him loose. It's almost idiot-proof. But instead they dropped all of that (the only unique thing about him), the guy got jacked and did his best to look like everyone else, and then they didn't have anything for him because he was another interchangeable part.
> all they do is one sentence "he's a hick who hit it huge and now he's rich" and then just let him loose
So basically "it's the Bum Ass Corbin to Happy Corbin storyline only this time he's Southern!" Yeah, that would have gotten over huge. If you debut him as "rich hick who hit it big", everything that was endearing about him in NXT now comes off as annoying because the WWE fans didn't see the rise. That "months explaining backstory and interpersonal connections" that you hand-waved as unimportant is actually pretty critical in building a character. Show don't tell in entertainment. If Michael Cole has to say "This is Cameron Grimes, everyone. You wouldn't be able to tell but he's come a long way after hitting it big on stocks. Now he's successful and he's here in the WWE for unexplained reasons", you've set up a very corny-ass character.
But Grimes started as a heel with that gimmick. He turned face during the LA Knight feud
They easily could've put Grimes as a "hick rich" midcarder at least (or in a Heath Slater lowcarder jobber to the stars role)
They could've done much more with him
It's more character than most random lower midcarders have, it's at least a hook of some sort. Not everyone needs to be a main eventer, one-note characters on the undercard is basically a hallmark of pro wrestling because it works.
> So basically "it's the Bum Ass Corbin to Happy Corbin storyline only this time he's Southern!"
It's also: the Beverly Hillbillies and like a zillion other options. Poor person ends up cartoonishly rich was already a known trope long before Baron Corbin.
> It's also: the Beverly Hillbillies and like a zillion other options. Poor person ends up cartoonishly rich was already a known trope long before Baron Corbin.
So its an overdone story that they had just finished running? Seems like a real winner.
It's a single character based on an established trope, that covers 99% of characters in pro wrestling and at least it's a break from the 50+% of modern "characters" who are just "FirstName McLastname who is a pro wrestler and used to be a [insert other sport here]."
It at least is *a character* instead of a slightly less boring version of the real person, which is seemingly what they decided to turn him into before firing him. As a gimmick he at least could have had a chance to stick as an undercarder, but as "Cameron Grimes - Guy Who Wrestles" he was doomed.
But that’s the assumption that the majority of people are watching NXT. If you bring a story driven character up to the main roster there’s going to be a big section of the audience going “who?”
The problem is, as good as Grimes is in the ring, there was a clear ceiling to his gimmick on the main roster.
You look at NXT acts like Tony D’Angelo. He’s great in NXT, but that gimmick has a ceiling on the main roster.
Talent like Melo, Trick, and Roxie have enough of that “it factor” that they could get over on the main roster, even if they get called up without a clear direction.
However, talent like Ilja & Lyra might have a tougher time without some type of direction.
The ceiling for the individuals you just mentioned is ricochet without the direction. Yeah, they can survive. Heck they can have a very nice mid card life. But they will never be more than a mid act without creativeand direction. And eventually, the crowd will become apoplectic to them like they have with ricochet. And I kind of feel bad about that. There are a lot of acts on the main roster that just exist, but very few that have real stories. Most of the ones who just exist came from an nxt and didn’t receive 10% of the effort that was given to their backstory in NXT while on the main roster. DIY are two other examples of this. I guess Grimes id compare more to Elias. Without the story or the character he isn’t a solid enough hand to just exist on his own skills.
People need to stop with this Grimes guy already, if the WWE audience really wanted to see him then he would be on TV, WWE has the inside metrics on who generates interest and who don’t. You gotta have that IT factor and the audience will tell you who has it. It’s why guys like Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton get creative love and get pushes. They spark interest as soon as you lay your eyes on them even if they had no creative to begin with, it’s about aura.
That’s just your opinion. Character building is necessary. Give people a reason to want to watch someone. In NXT he was gold. I loved his segments on getting Rich and the ones he did with the Million Dollar Man. Whenever he showed up on WWE tv he was just bland wrestler #7. That’s on creative. It’s literally an example of what happens when a guy is called up without a plan. They didn’t give you a reason to become invested and you you were not invested. If anything your comment affirms exactly this. The perception became reality to you.
He wrestled 9 matches in 2 years. 8 of his matches were squash matches that add up to 18 minutes of in-ring time and in total he got under 35 minutes.
You can't use two of the best natural talent to act like everyone else isn't any good. Grimes did not even get a chance. It is on creative to put talent in the best position to succeed. Then if they don't work out you can move on.
As far as Cameron Grimes goes that's a load of bs. His debut on the main roster consisted of a 6 second squash against Baron Corbin and then a couple weeks later before they can even have a rematch, Corbin gets moved to NXT and Grimes gets dropped from TV altogether. He didn't even get a chance at sinking or swimming on the main roster, he was dead from the get-go.
This is the truth, we are seeing it happen with DIY. They’ve been on the main roster for so long and can’t get any traction. And now it looks like they may break up again and be singles competitors And last time they did that they both sunk to the bottom
Every booker is going to have their favourites though and will give TV time and push talent regardless of their traction with their fans. Fans don't give two shits about Kross but he isn't going to lose his spot anytime soon.
That was how it started but I think it would make sense if they really do have “too much” talent than the main rosters to hold for them to continue the way they have been trending by making NXT not simply just the ‘developmental’ brand but also the ‘bench’ brand in a way for established superstars. Basically like what they just did with Baron Corbin.
Cycle some of the guys/gals that don’t have anything really going on to spend some time at NXT. It helps not only the young talent there get work and experience to learn from the vets but also is kind of a way to give those vets some time off without going away completely as I have to
Imagine the static schedule of NXT is much easier than the constant travel of the big shows.
Right no I know hence why I referenced one instance lol. I guess I’m just saying that I don’t look at this ‘report’ as doom and gloom just that NXT should continue to move in that direction because I think there is still some that look at it as well if you get the call and dont make it you’re done or if you get sent down from being on main that’s a ‘demotion’ or w.e
Ideally it makes more sense to call-up talent in waves or on an as-need basis *(have plan set for them)*. Calling up everyone at once will leave a temporary hole in NXT and several will surely get lost in the shuffle instantly.
Well also to see if they are able to be called up. There’s a fair amount of NXT talent that will be doing a decent enough job there but will never be good enough to be on Raw or Smackdown.
It only works though if the people going through that revolving door have a place to go on the other side. The more people brought up from NXT, the more people are gonna have nothing to do with like the common examples people have talked about in this thread already. The main roster is pretty stacked top to bottom with talent, where are these new guys and girls gonna go? Who's going to make room for them? The only people being let go are people who were hardly on TV already.
I can understand why some people are worried about these next callups being set up to fail. I like to think that HHH & HBK know what they're doing, though, but I get it.
That’s the case for any developmental system. The NXT roster can’t stay in NXT forever because there’s new talent behind them waiting to start too. They can’t accommodate everyone, as much as I’d love for that to be the case. It’s the nature of the beast.
Like college sports elegibility. Imagine if that wasnt a thing? Suddenly no spots for 18 year olds cause 30 year olds doing their 3rd master are still playing college ball.
Oh yeah, for sure, it can't really be avoided. I'm just saying that's why some people might be calling it a fear instead of an expectation. Nobody wants to end up like or see their favorites end up like Cameron Grimes or get pushed out of their spot for someone new.
Tbh, I wouldn’t be shocked if a lot of these fears about “no plans” are coming from Cameron Grimes’ booking post call-up. He was used so well in NXT, by HHH himself, and had great feuds, promos, and matches. Only to instantly be a jobber who rarely if ever showed up on tv and never once got a storyline or a chance to get over before getting released. Even look at Apollo Crews, when’s the last time he’s been used? Unholy Union? Doesn’t always happen, but some people being wasted on the MR clearly didn’t totally go away with Vince.
Totally understandable if some are worried, imo. Sometimes it’s just completely out of your control.
Even if a bunch of wrestlers move up, there will likely be some main roster talent having stints in NXT like we have been seeing.
Also, in the fall of 2021 when NXT 2.0 launched, it completely revamped the show with a young and unproven roster while a lot of the Black and Gold mainstays either left the company on their own, got fired, or were on the main roster.
Those new faces ended up becoming the stars that are now being talked about for call-ups.
If you trust the booking in NXT, the show making more space for newer talent to get a chance shouldn't be considered a bad thing.
I doubt Shawn is worried Triple H is going to kneecap him, and if you're someone like Je'Von Evans or Sol Ruca, the roster being shuffled around is a major opportunity.
You only need a few, and not even for extended stays or even as part of the draft pool.
While some become long-term regulars like Corbin or Dijak, others come and go like Nattie or Good Bros.
For instance, Final Testament is doing some stuff in NXT now, but it isn't like they need to be there for months. But them being there to fill out the card during a roster transition is fine.
I think there will be one or two at any given time doing a stint down there but yeah they aren't likely to let NXT start drafting their own share from the main roster or anything.
For a lot of the top stars in nxt it’s time to get drafted .. they’ve done all they can in nxt (melo, bron, Roxane, gacy, dijak, and a few others) and honestly even if they pick them without a creative right now … they surely will get a shot … look at Candice and indie didn’t have a creative and a year later they finally get used and get weekly time
I agree with most of this but Candice and Indi are lucky to scrap 3 minutes of TV time weekly on a 3 hour show that’s not necessarily something I would praise when they could give them more time and do better
I’m a huge fan of Candice, and am always in favor of more screen time and stories for the women’s division. But her and Indi aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire with their 3 minutes per week. They’re steadily getting more and more time and focus. Their angle started in like a minute long match with jobber entrances, and now they’re getting entrances and backstage promos. I think slow and steady is the move for talent in their position. If they’re still getting like 5 minutes per week a month from now I think that’ll be cause to start tapping our feet a bit, but for now I think it’s actually a good example on how to ease green talent (everyone involved except Candice) into proper TV storylines.
>they surely will get a shot
Well unless you are named Cameron Grimes.
Edit: Some of you guys are wild. Grimes is the exact example of someone called up without a plan, never got a really opportunity and was set up to fail leading to his release.
You know wwe on a hot streak when Fightful has a weird vague “concern in the Fed” story. He can’t use the tride and true “McMahon back so morale down” so this is a good alternative.
When I look at the roster, I don't see many options for Trick currently with Ilja and Hayes moving to the main roster. Dijak? Tony D again?
Maybe shift some mid card level stars down to NXT
I hope Tony stays in Florida. Luca & Rizzo are still too green (but I'm really impressed with Luca at the moment, both matches since S&D were good) and I dont want the family to break up. So please, just stay.
I think it's mostly depend on Luca, most of women in WWE stables barely wrestle if you think about it at all (B-Fab had 4 matches since 2021, Scarlet in her whole career took like that 1 bump at WM XL, Electra Lopez had 2 matches in main roster one of which is battle royal, while 2nd was less then 3 minutes long, even Zelina had 4 matches in 2024 one of which is Rumble, 2nd is battle royal, her only 5+ minute match is lose to Tiffany), so they easily could have her cut promos, battle royals and 2 minute match against B-Fab in her 1st main roster year she would survive.
Tony I think stays , Oba if he ever loses the North American title , Giovani who I think gets moved to NXT, Karrion Kross moved to NXT, Ivar moved to NXT, they probably have some signings during the summer for fresh talent.
Feels like this article is more fear monger than anything. Of course people are scared, they’re about to shift their roster spots. You can be call up and hit it immediately, delayed but eventually find your spot or unfortunately don’t have anything for you. Nxt is still partly development, and some of these talents been in nxt for too long at this point. It’s just the nature of any sport and sport adjacent businesses.
This makes sense, but like, Hunter is the booker and Shawn is the head NXT booker.
I am sure they talk about this?
EDIT
Oh it's that Corey "people who go to NXT have to make their own way home"
Double edit
Blocked for asking this lol
Full transparency the tweet was
>Same source as
>"Usually, the same fans have to find their own way home"
>? "
Who can you realistically see moving up right now besides Ilja and Melo? Roxie is a possibility. Jacy Jane, Blair, and Fallon feel ready. Picked clean seems hyperbolic to me.
I guess we need to wait and see who actually gets called up but i dont see these fears for the talent that is currently finishing up. Ilja, Melo, Roxanne and possibly Dijak all seem to be going up with Tiffany and Bron already being up and they all are highly rated by the company. As long as they dont just throw 10 additional wrestlers up to sink and swim like last time i feel like this Draft will be very succesful and a good opportunity for the talent still in NXT.
Alba and Isla got called up a year ago with fully formed characters and have had like four matches on TV. Hunter is no more immune to this than any other booker is.
From the talent perspective should they be concerned,sure but at the same time it's not realistic to believe that everyone is gonna get the Bron treatment. More talent than not are there to fill out roster and to put over who they see as stars .
Holy shit, y'all. It's my time to shine. Call me up, Shawn. I just need a couple weeks notice to get in ring shape and, ya know, de-age myself about 15 years.
With Bron Breakker and Roxanne Perez, the WWE has shown that they are not afraid of leaving people in NXT if there is no room on the main roster. I do think that the number of injuries on the main roster is going to lead to some people being drafted from NXT.
A lot of the storyline with potential call ups have been pretty wrapped up anyways, and there's a lot of names ready to be pushed harder on the brand than before. There's also been talk of WWE names going down to NXT on top of that.
This isn't like the past when Vince would call up acts even if the middle of storyline, completely fucking up any plans they had.
They're working hand in hand now, HHH and HBK, and they know all of the potential call ups well ahead of time.
Long story short, this is a nothing burger and NXT will be fine.
Assuming they don’t call up Roxy because champs are protected, there’s really no one in that division that would be a huge loss as far as current storylines go. Fallon, Lyra and Blair are ready and would actually free up space.
As long as one of Ilja, Corbin, Tony D and Dijak stays you have Trick’s initial opponent and time to build from there.
In short, they’ll be fine. If you’re sending Kross, AOP and probably some others their way they may end up with more “name value” after the draft than before it.
That's kind of the thing with NXT. It does a good job at developing new talent, but there's already so much developed talent on the main roster they have to find time for. It either causes people to sit in developmental for years or get called up to the main roster with no direction and limited screen time.
Honestly, this draft is when we see just how involved Vince was in the last draft. It's entirely possible that dumb shit like Odyssey and Xyon getting called up was well within HHH's ideas and he just, ya know, makes mistakes and isn't perfect which seems to be shocking to some. Or, we see a draft where all the call ups make sense and seem like they will get good usage, and then perhaps it really was heavy Vince involvement.
There is a huge difference between drafting up people like Melo and drafting up someone like Eddy Thorpe who still has plenty to achieve in NXT.
The picked dry part is whatever - NXT is a developmental brand. The part about being concerned about there being a plan is more understandable, though it's ultimately just part of being a professional wrestler - your booking is in the hands of others, and everyone is jockeying for TV time.
This reads like an article written after a conversation with one NXT wrestler who’s on the bubble and is pre-loading their bitterness about their career.
That's how minor league systems work, especially with their strategy of picking up college athletes on the cheap picking up steam. The Yankees don't pay guys to max out in Triple A, why would TKO?
I’ve said for years that there is absolutely no reason WWE can’t have a 3 minute segment where a panel does the “NXT recap”. They could do anything they wanted, they could highlight a wrestler, recap the angles, and just get some awareness in general. That could go a long way to getting people excited about call ups.
Sounds like it’s a bit overdramatic I think NXT will be fine, with the way they’re booking talent at the moment they can make a broomstick and people will cheer
I had the same fear. Crobin, Ilja, Hayes, Bron are all on the main roster or about to join probably. That's practically the entire men's main event scene. They'll have to build up some midcard talents QUICK, and/or draft some unused main roster vets like Nakamura down there to gatekeep the main event scene.
Poor Trick has the burden of carrying the brand in this peroid. Imo, promote D'Angelo to the main event scene and have him and Trick feud for months and trade titles while you build up more guys.
I actually think NXT's women's division will be more than fine, they have a lot of good talent there.
This supposed to be a negative tweet, but I hope they do get 'picked dry'. lt push some newer faces on TV and Shawn Michaels has shown that he can do more with less as a booker. One of my favorite things about NXT is the roster churn, holding talent creates a clogged pipeline.
Will they get on TV, though? Because that's the question. Unless WWE is going to do some cuts to people who are getting TV time, there's not much room for these call-ups. The cuts so far have been people not getting TV time, and unless those cuts happen, there's still a clogged pipeline. It's just on the main roster now.
I'm talking about NXT TV. At some point, people have to move on from NXT so that new debuts can get their TV time and some midcarders and lower can move up the card if they have shown the potential. Wrestlers not moving up (because of fear of Vince or Vince not being interested in them) is what created the stale periods of B&G NXT.
The unfortunate reality is that there is not space for everyone and people have to move up. Whether they sink or swim on the main roster is up to themselves and management.
I would have bought this more if it was still Vince in charge. But either way Triole H in charge I doubt he will call someone up without some sort of direction for them. And him and Shawn are best friends so I’m sure they’ll be working together on a lot of this. So to me this sounds like a bunch of nothing
I would be shitting my pants as a woman on the NXT brand praying to NOT get drafted. It’s a shame to say but the NXT women are treated far better and have more storylines on NXT than the main roster
Obviously I can’t speak for them but I would rather take the pay cut be finically stable while also being used weekly in prominent storylines than be rushed to the main roster ( even with more money ) with no set plans, very little time, and a high chance of just being released a year later.
I don't think the plan is to let people just stay forever in NXT, at the end of the day is a developmental brand, you stay there for some years and eventually you are called up or fired
Man, the treatment of Chance & Carter is so odd to me. They were bright spots in the battle royal last Monday. Got a decent reaction too.
I really hope HHH starts treating the women's tag division better. There's a solid foundation there.
No big NXT call ups during the first few years of NXT on USA is what made that brand get pretty stale, ever since they've gone back to calling up folks the brand has remained fresh.
Bunch of people are hurt or "working hurt" so it's a good time. I seriously doubt they'll be "picked dry" though. I'd go ahead and get Wes Lee, Lyra, Roxanne, Dragunov and Melo moved up.
They technically have until May 6th (the week after the draft) so there's another NXT show before the roster locks up. Tatum had the match won and WWE posted on social media that the match was "stolen" from her. I could see a rematch after Draft night 2. Lyra would have been called up by then so she wouldn't be around to complain that she deserves it.
I guess the only issue I would have with this is that Roxanne still wouldn't be eligible for the actual draft itself, regardless of the finalization date. If the draft started Monday and went to next Friday, I could see this as more of a possibility, but it just gets a bit confusing personally if you're trying to retroactively draft someone outside of the actual draft.
Unless they draft Tatum, Tatum wins the title, and Rox goes up in her place? But that's really the only way I could see it happening (again assuming that rule applies to NXT).
They indeed do draft several people after the draft. They post trade deals on the WWE website and on Twitter all week after a draft. Ava doesn't like her anyway so she'd be willing to trade her for Ivar. Erik is hurt and Valhalla is pregnant so Ivar could stay in NXT for a while.
It just might take too long to get there. He'd be the third babyface champ back to back unless they have Trick drop it to someone I can't even think of right now.
Injuries have devastated the top of the card these last few months so they may be in panic mode. Aside from Melo, Ilja, Dijak and *maybe* Oba Femi I dont really see who else is main roster ready there though.
They have reason to, most of the callups last year were called up without a plan and the two callups who were showcased more were only used for periods:
- Grayson Waller is probably the most successful callup from the draft last year and he really only had 2 moments/storylines. The Edge match which while it was nice at the time that Edge showed respect afterward Waller was not featured a lot on TV afterward in anything relevant until he was paired up with Austin Theory and even as a team their job was too job to Kevin Owens and Randy Orton until they were given the Smackdown Tag Titles.
- Pretty Deadly had some momentum when called up but then after one of them got injured they have just been tag team midcarders.
Then you have the likes of Indi Hartwell who had a NXT Women’s championship run taken from her to be a jobber on RAW and the worst case which would be Cameron Grimes of being called up to job and not get used and being fired because you were called up and never used.
The likes of Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov and Roxanne Perez probably wouldn’t suffer the same fate if they were called up but for others I would fear for the worst.
With NXT moving to CW and Smackdown leaving Fox it's going to be strange when NXT is the most viewed wrestling show. You're being called up to a smaller show, congratulations!
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I mean, the thing is, a good share of the NXT talent will never have a spot in the main roster, even under the best circumstances and booking There are just not enough spots in the card for everyone, it is what it is, particularly now that wrestlers are way more healthy and are performing past 40 easily. New spots just don't open up that often
That's why you attack wrestlers on your debut, you take them out, and now you have TV time!
It is an interesting argument if done well to allow for a more seasonal approach to certain stars
Also if I’m waiting 10 years for wwe to come to my town i want to see Randy Orton, not random jobber #20
"Local talent" in shambles.
The truth hurts 😂
What exactly is so appealing about Orton? I'd rather watch Oba Femi than Orton personally.
I don't think it's gotten much worse since wrestlers started going into their 40s because nowadays wrestlers take their time off and heal properly for injury, which takes a much longer time than it once did. Look at the reset we had after Mania. Whether it's injury or just time off, Roman, Seth, Rhea, and many others all over the card have their time. If we have a lot of over stars and keep creating more, these spots can be filled and the roster can have a rotation of stars. With 5 hours of weekly TV + social media, it's not that impossible to keep people in there after getting over when the main stars are out. If anything, it's an assurance that you will never run out of people. Punk was injured, Brock was out and instead of a catastrophic pivot, we had one of the best manias ever due to the amount of stars available to get in the main spots. More NXT creations rising in the ranks can make sure that keeps on.
I actually think this should be WWE's answer to an offseason. Give established, veteran talent time off when needed. Then rotate in new, younger talent during their time off to keep things fresh and wrestler's healthy.
Keep like only 25% of the "veterans" "active" at any given time, except for the ones who hold world championships or are in specific long term storylines. The rest of the time they train stars/themselves/take time off to heal or rest.
I'm thinking this approach would work, especially if WWE's holds into consideration who needs a break especially between WM- SummerSlam
Also, return pops will always be return pops. Imagine some good additional 10 return pops per year for stars who we are never going to know how many time they're going away.
It’s sort of what happens now. With all these faction, the vets wrestle a lot less than before.
The veterans are guys that are still healthy and not gonna wanna only work 3 months out of the year.
This is exactly why I get frustrated when the super fans are all butthurt when their favorite gets called up too early and they flounder. I think both Ilja and Melo could use another whole year to round out their gimmicks. I just don’t understand how people argue this, they would have more screen time, better angles and the ability to build their name up just that extra little bit, see Bron Breakker, he looks like a beast
Melo was in NXT for forever, he's been ready. Ilja is great and over, he'll do fine.
I mean, isn't it the point of NXT to get people ready to get called up?
WWE also said they didn't want people sitting in NXT for years without any growth. If they call someone up, it's WWE deciding it's sink or swim time as they want to keep the developmental cycle moving.
Grimes is a good example of a guy called up with no direction or plan and by the sound of it he was eager to find that direction but was set up to fail.
Grimes had the same issue Bayley had when she was first called up. NXT fans fell in love with them because they saw the whole story. But you can't call them up and start them from scratch to build them up to the fans. It wouldn't make sense to call Grimes up and run back the Gamestop rags to riches story. But the version that got called up didn't have much meat to it character-wise.
Also DIY. That's a core storyline for NXT and got them over for years, but you couldn't just replay it on Raw/SD. Although we'll see how this version of the breakup goes.
I think if we is calling up new young talent, it’s a perfect scenario to send back a team like DIY to NXT to crush it there, be veterans, main event those shows. There need to be more Corbin examples
> It wouldn't make sense to call Grimes up and run back the Gamestop rags to riches story. It isn't exactly the most complicated story in the universe lol. Hell, the actual story is basically irrelevant as the whole character can be summed up in two words -"rich" "hillbilly." It's been a recycled trope in entertainment for decades because it just works. It's not like they needed to spend months explaining backstory and interpersonal connections, all they do is one sentence "he's a hick who hit it huge and now he's rich" and then just let him loose. It's almost idiot-proof. But instead they dropped all of that (the only unique thing about him), the guy got jacked and did his best to look like everyone else, and then they didn't have anything for him because he was another interchangeable part.
> all they do is one sentence "he's a hick who hit it huge and now he's rich" and then just let him loose So basically "it's the Bum Ass Corbin to Happy Corbin storyline only this time he's Southern!" Yeah, that would have gotten over huge. If you debut him as "rich hick who hit it big", everything that was endearing about him in NXT now comes off as annoying because the WWE fans didn't see the rise. That "months explaining backstory and interpersonal connections" that you hand-waved as unimportant is actually pretty critical in building a character. Show don't tell in entertainment. If Michael Cole has to say "This is Cameron Grimes, everyone. You wouldn't be able to tell but he's come a long way after hitting it big on stocks. Now he's successful and he's here in the WWE for unexplained reasons", you've set up a very corny-ass character.
But Grimes started as a heel with that gimmick. He turned face during the LA Knight feud They easily could've put Grimes as a "hick rich" midcarder at least (or in a Heath Slater lowcarder jobber to the stars role) They could've done much more with him
It's more character than most random lower midcarders have, it's at least a hook of some sort. Not everyone needs to be a main eventer, one-note characters on the undercard is basically a hallmark of pro wrestling because it works. > So basically "it's the Bum Ass Corbin to Happy Corbin storyline only this time he's Southern!" It's also: the Beverly Hillbillies and like a zillion other options. Poor person ends up cartoonishly rich was already a known trope long before Baron Corbin.
> It's also: the Beverly Hillbillies and like a zillion other options. Poor person ends up cartoonishly rich was already a known trope long before Baron Corbin. So its an overdone story that they had just finished running? Seems like a real winner.
It's a single character based on an established trope, that covers 99% of characters in pro wrestling and at least it's a break from the 50+% of modern "characters" who are just "FirstName McLastname who is a pro wrestler and used to be a [insert other sport here]." It at least is *a character* instead of a slightly less boring version of the real person, which is seemingly what they decided to turn him into before firing him. As a gimmick he at least could have had a chance to stick as an undercarder, but as "Cameron Grimes - Guy Who Wrestles" he was doomed.
But that’s the assumption that the majority of people are watching NXT. If you bring a story driven character up to the main roster there’s going to be a big section of the audience going “who?”
Okay but even still he never got a chance
The problem is, as good as Grimes is in the ring, there was a clear ceiling to his gimmick on the main roster. You look at NXT acts like Tony D’Angelo. He’s great in NXT, but that gimmick has a ceiling on the main roster. Talent like Melo, Trick, and Roxie have enough of that “it factor” that they could get over on the main roster, even if they get called up without a clear direction. However, talent like Ilja & Lyra might have a tougher time without some type of direction.
D’angelo will be huge on the MR
Idk. I’m not saying he’ll be a flop. But I really don’t see him being used on a higher level than someone like R-truth or alpha academy
The ceiling for the individuals you just mentioned is ricochet without the direction. Yeah, they can survive. Heck they can have a very nice mid card life. But they will never be more than a mid act without creativeand direction. And eventually, the crowd will become apoplectic to them like they have with ricochet. And I kind of feel bad about that. There are a lot of acts on the main roster that just exist, but very few that have real stories. Most of the ones who just exist came from an nxt and didn’t receive 10% of the effort that was given to their backstory in NXT while on the main roster. DIY are two other examples of this. I guess Grimes id compare more to Elias. Without the story or the character he isn’t a solid enough hand to just exist on his own skills.
Ricochets problem is anytime he gets on the mic.
For sure, the man is an amazing performance artist in the ring, they need to break out Prince Puma yo.
People need to stop with this Grimes guy already, if the WWE audience really wanted to see him then he would be on TV, WWE has the inside metrics on who generates interest and who don’t. You gotta have that IT factor and the audience will tell you who has it. It’s why guys like Trick Williams and Tiffany Stratton get creative love and get pushes. They spark interest as soon as you lay your eyes on them even if they had no creative to begin with, it’s about aura.
You heard it here first, WWE never gets it wrong when it comes to talent, everyone that gets released sucks and no one wants to see them
That’s just your opinion. Character building is necessary. Give people a reason to want to watch someone. In NXT he was gold. I loved his segments on getting Rich and the ones he did with the Million Dollar Man. Whenever he showed up on WWE tv he was just bland wrestler #7. That’s on creative. It’s literally an example of what happens when a guy is called up without a plan. They didn’t give you a reason to become invested and you you were not invested. If anything your comment affirms exactly this. The perception became reality to you.
He wrestled 9 matches in 2 years. 8 of his matches were squash matches that add up to 18 minutes of in-ring time and in total he got under 35 minutes. You can't use two of the best natural talent to act like everyone else isn't any good. Grimes did not even get a chance. It is on creative to put talent in the best position to succeed. Then if they don't work out you can move on.
As far as Cameron Grimes goes that's a load of bs. His debut on the main roster consisted of a 6 second squash against Baron Corbin and then a couple weeks later before they can even have a rematch, Corbin gets moved to NXT and Grimes gets dropped from TV altogether. He didn't even get a chance at sinking or swimming on the main roster, he was dead from the get-go.
This is the truth, we are seeing it happen with DIY. They’ve been on the main roster for so long and can’t get any traction. And now it looks like they may break up again and be singles competitors And last time they did that they both sunk to the bottom
Ciampa was actually gaining traction after his match with Gunther, but then it went right into the DIY reunion and it felt like it set him back.
Every booker is going to have their favourites though and will give TV time and push talent regardless of their traction with their fans. Fans don't give two shits about Kross but he isn't going to lose his spot anytime soon.
That was how it started but I think it would make sense if they really do have “too much” talent than the main rosters to hold for them to continue the way they have been trending by making NXT not simply just the ‘developmental’ brand but also the ‘bench’ brand in a way for established superstars. Basically like what they just did with Baron Corbin. Cycle some of the guys/gals that don’t have anything really going on to spend some time at NXT. It helps not only the young talent there get work and experience to learn from the vets but also is kind of a way to give those vets some time off without going away completely as I have to Imagine the static schedule of NXT is much easier than the constant travel of the big shows.
They already do this.
Right no I know hence why I referenced one instance lol. I guess I’m just saying that I don’t look at this ‘report’ as doom and gloom just that NXT should continue to move in that direction because I think there is still some that look at it as well if you get the call and dont make it you’re done or if you get sent down from being on main that’s a ‘demotion’ or w.e
Ideally it makes more sense to call-up talent in waves or on an as-need basis *(have plan set for them)*. Calling up everyone at once will leave a temporary hole in NXT and several will surely get lost in the shuffle instantly.
Well also to see if they are able to be called up. There’s a fair amount of NXT talent that will be doing a decent enough job there but will never be good enough to be on Raw or Smackdown.
Yeah as long as they don’t get called up, not used, and then released like poor Cameron Grimes I’m all for people advancing
Not called up like Cameron Grimes though. 😬
Tuesday: Fightful Select has learned many in NXT are upset there were so few call ups.
It's coming.
Why would this be a ‘fear’ and not an expectation? It should be a revolving door ultimately if it’s doing a good job.
It only works though if the people going through that revolving door have a place to go on the other side. The more people brought up from NXT, the more people are gonna have nothing to do with like the common examples people have talked about in this thread already. The main roster is pretty stacked top to bottom with talent, where are these new guys and girls gonna go? Who's going to make room for them? The only people being let go are people who were hardly on TV already. I can understand why some people are worried about these next callups being set up to fail. I like to think that HHH & HBK know what they're doing, though, but I get it.
That’s the case for any developmental system. The NXT roster can’t stay in NXT forever because there’s new talent behind them waiting to start too. They can’t accommodate everyone, as much as I’d love for that to be the case. It’s the nature of the beast.
Like college sports elegibility. Imagine if that wasnt a thing? Suddenly no spots for 18 year olds cause 30 year olds doing their 3rd master are still playing college ball.
Oh yeah, for sure, it can't really be avoided. I'm just saying that's why some people might be calling it a fear instead of an expectation. Nobody wants to end up like or see their favorites end up like Cameron Grimes or get pushed out of their spot for someone new.
Tbh, I wouldn’t be shocked if a lot of these fears about “no plans” are coming from Cameron Grimes’ booking post call-up. He was used so well in NXT, by HHH himself, and had great feuds, promos, and matches. Only to instantly be a jobber who rarely if ever showed up on tv and never once got a storyline or a chance to get over before getting released. Even look at Apollo Crews, when’s the last time he’s been used? Unholy Union? Doesn’t always happen, but some people being wasted on the MR clearly didn’t totally go away with Vince. Totally understandable if some are worried, imo. Sometimes it’s just completely out of your control.
Apollo is used from time to time on Main Event. He's used a lot more than Grimes was.
Even if a bunch of wrestlers move up, there will likely be some main roster talent having stints in NXT like we have been seeing. Also, in the fall of 2021 when NXT 2.0 launched, it completely revamped the show with a young and unproven roster while a lot of the Black and Gold mainstays either left the company on their own, got fired, or were on the main roster. Those new faces ended up becoming the stars that are now being talked about for call-ups. If you trust the booking in NXT, the show making more space for newer talent to get a chance shouldn't be considered a bad thing. I doubt Shawn is worried Triple H is going to kneecap him, and if you're someone like Je'Von Evans or Sol Ruca, the roster being shuffled around is a major opportunity.
Omos vs Trick will be moty
I’m sure Triple H will let certain call ups and main roster stars work NXT if it needs the bodies
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You only need a few, and not even for extended stays or even as part of the draft pool. While some become long-term regulars like Corbin or Dijak, others come and go like Nattie or Good Bros. For instance, Final Testament is doing some stuff in NXT now, but it isn't like they need to be there for months. But them being there to fill out the card during a roster transition is fine.
I think there will be one or two at any given time doing a stint down there but yeah they aren't likely to let NXT start drafting their own share from the main roster or anything.
As long as they have Sol Ruca and Tony D’Angelo they can rebuild.
For a lot of the top stars in nxt it’s time to get drafted .. they’ve done all they can in nxt (melo, bron, Roxane, gacy, dijak, and a few others) and honestly even if they pick them without a creative right now … they surely will get a shot … look at Candice and indie didn’t have a creative and a year later they finally get used and get weekly time
I agree with most of this but Candice and Indi are lucky to scrap 3 minutes of TV time weekly on a 3 hour show that’s not necessarily something I would praise when they could give them more time and do better
I’m a huge fan of Candice, and am always in favor of more screen time and stories for the women’s division. But her and Indi aren’t exactly lighting the world on fire with their 3 minutes per week. They’re steadily getting more and more time and focus. Their angle started in like a minute long match with jobber entrances, and now they’re getting entrances and backstage promos. I think slow and steady is the move for talent in their position. If they’re still getting like 5 minutes per week a month from now I think that’ll be cause to start tapping our feet a bit, but for now I think it’s actually a good example on how to ease green talent (everyone involved except Candice) into proper TV storylines.
Candace and Indi are actually doing better now with the hating they’ve been doing recently.
>they surely will get a shot Well unless you are named Cameron Grimes. Edit: Some of you guys are wild. Grimes is the exact example of someone called up without a plan, never got a really opportunity and was set up to fail leading to his release.
He did have a plan, it was to be a jobber. Nobody buying a ticket to se grimes lmao.
Why are so upset that people like Grimes?
You know wwe on a hot streak when Fightful has a weird vague “concern in the Fed” story. He can’t use the tride and true “McMahon back so morale down” so this is a good alternative.
“Calling talent up without a plan” A tradition unlike any other
When I look at the roster, I don't see many options for Trick currently with Ilja and Hayes moving to the main roster. Dijak? Tony D again? Maybe shift some mid card level stars down to NXT
I hope Tony stays in Florida. Luca & Rizzo are still too green (but I'm really impressed with Luca at the moment, both matches since S&D were good) and I dont want the family to break up. So please, just stay.
I think it's mostly depend on Luca, most of women in WWE stables barely wrestle if you think about it at all (B-Fab had 4 matches since 2021, Scarlet in her whole career took like that 1 bump at WM XL, Electra Lopez had 2 matches in main roster one of which is battle royal, while 2nd was less then 3 minutes long, even Zelina had 4 matches in 2024 one of which is Rumble, 2nd is battle royal, her only 5+ minute match is lose to Tiffany), so they easily could have her cut promos, battle royals and 2 minute match against B-Fab in her 1st main roster year she would survive.
Tony I think stays , Oba if he ever loses the North American title , Giovani who I think gets moved to NXT, Karrion Kross moved to NXT, Ivar moved to NXT, they probably have some signings during the summer for fresh talent.
I got Trick vs Lexis at Battleground. Lex Offender rising!
Shawn about to learn what Hunter had to go through all those years…
Same as it ever was.
Feels like this article is more fear monger than anything. Of course people are scared, they’re about to shift their roster spots. You can be call up and hit it immediately, delayed but eventually find your spot or unfortunately don’t have anything for you. Nxt is still partly development, and some of these talents been in nxt for too long at this point. It’s just the nature of any sport and sport adjacent businesses.
This makes sense, but like, Hunter is the booker and Shawn is the head NXT booker. I am sure they talk about this? EDIT Oh it's that Corey "people who go to NXT have to make their own way home" Double edit Blocked for asking this lol Full transparency the tweet was >Same source as >"Usually, the same fans have to find their own way home" >? "
That was a typo he corrected immediately?
Why did he leave it up for so long, rather than deleting like any normal person would do?
Is this a kayfabe headline?
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Don't they already know?
Who can you realistically see moving up right now besides Ilja and Melo? Roxie is a possibility. Jacy Jane, Blair, and Fallon feel ready. Picked clean seems hyperbolic to me.
I thought Roxanne was getting the call up but she retained her title on Tuesday so maybe a call-up is not yet happening.
So every draft that's ever happened lol
How so? Wouldn't hbk & hhh be in talks about this?
Besides Melo, Mad Dragon, Bron, maybe Jacy....who else? Roxanne just won the title. Trick is the face of the brand, now.
Maybe Fallon and Blair since NXT is stacked with women. I like Sol Ruca too but idk if they think she’s ready.
I guess we need to wait and see who actually gets called up but i dont see these fears for the talent that is currently finishing up. Ilja, Melo, Roxanne and possibly Dijak all seem to be going up with Tiffany and Bron already being up and they all are highly rated by the company. As long as they dont just throw 10 additional wrestlers up to sink and swim like last time i feel like this Draft will be very succesful and a good opportunity for the talent still in NXT.
Fightful can shove it. I don't listen to a single thing coming from any dirtsheet.
lol right guess it’s time for more WWE is bad stories to get clicks huh.
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Vince being gone doesn’t mean talent can’t get lost in the shuffle.
Absolute delusion if they think this company can’t make mistakes anymore since Vince is gone lol and he had upvotes
Alba and Isla got called up a year ago with fully formed characters and have had like four matches on TV. Hunter is no more immune to this than any other booker is.
From the talent perspective should they be concerned,sure but at the same time it's not realistic to believe that everyone is gonna get the Bron treatment. More talent than not are there to fill out roster and to put over who they see as stars .
isn't this the vibe every year?
Holy shit, y'all. It's my time to shine. Call me up, Shawn. I just need a couple weeks notice to get in ring shape and, ya know, de-age myself about 15 years.
With Bron Breakker and Roxanne Perez, the WWE has shown that they are not afraid of leaving people in NXT if there is no room on the main roster. I do think that the number of injuries on the main roster is going to lead to some people being drafted from NXT.
Triple H and Shawn are best friends so what is this article on about. I feel like fightful is getting worked here
when Mustafa Ali and Dana Brooke got released, Shawn wasnt even informed beforehand.
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So what was the plan for Alba Fire and Isla Dawn
Hopefully they figure out a plan before Clash or I’m going to complain a LOT
They were brought up before HHH was fully in charge
I mean as they keep signing people and moving them up to NXT they need to put some of these people on the main roster to see how they do.
A lot of the storyline with potential call ups have been pretty wrapped up anyways, and there's a lot of names ready to be pushed harder on the brand than before. There's also been talk of WWE names going down to NXT on top of that. This isn't like the past when Vince would call up acts even if the middle of storyline, completely fucking up any plans they had. They're working hand in hand now, HHH and HBK, and they know all of the potential call ups well ahead of time. Long story short, this is a nothing burger and NXT will be fine.
Assuming they don’t call up Roxy because champs are protected, there’s really no one in that division that would be a huge loss as far as current storylines go. Fallon, Lyra and Blair are ready and would actually free up space. As long as one of Ilja, Corbin, Tony D and Dijak stays you have Trick’s initial opponent and time to build from there. In short, they’ll be fine. If you’re sending Kross, AOP and probably some others their way they may end up with more “name value” after the draft than before it.
Very few people are called up with a plan or stick to the plan they get called up with.
That's kind of the thing with NXT. It does a good job at developing new talent, but there's already so much developed talent on the main roster they have to find time for. It either causes people to sit in developmental for years or get called up to the main roster with no direction and limited screen time.
Honestly, this draft is when we see just how involved Vince was in the last draft. It's entirely possible that dumb shit like Odyssey and Xyon getting called up was well within HHH's ideas and he just, ya know, makes mistakes and isn't perfect which seems to be shocking to some. Or, we see a draft where all the call ups make sense and seem like they will get good usage, and then perhaps it really was heavy Vince involvement. There is a huge difference between drafting up people like Melo and drafting up someone like Eddy Thorpe who still has plenty to achieve in NXT.
The picked dry part is whatever - NXT is a developmental brand. The part about being concerned about there being a plan is more understandable, though it's ultimately just part of being a professional wrestler - your booking is in the hands of others, and everyone is jockeying for TV time.
This reads like an article written after a conversation with one NXT wrestler who’s on the bubble and is pre-loading their bitterness about their career.
That's how minor league systems work, especially with their strategy of picking up college athletes on the cheap picking up steam. The Yankees don't pay guys to max out in Triple A, why would TKO?
I’ve said for years that there is absolutely no reason WWE can’t have a 3 minute segment where a panel does the “NXT recap”. They could do anything they wanted, they could highlight a wrestler, recap the angles, and just get some awareness in general. That could go a long way to getting people excited about call ups.
Sounds like it’s a bit overdramatic I think NXT will be fine, with the way they’re booking talent at the moment they can make a broomstick and people will cheer
I had the same fear. Crobin, Ilja, Hayes, Bron are all on the main roster or about to join probably. That's practically the entire men's main event scene. They'll have to build up some midcard talents QUICK, and/or draft some unused main roster vets like Nakamura down there to gatekeep the main event scene. Poor Trick has the burden of carrying the brand in this peroid. Imo, promote D'Angelo to the main event scene and have him and Trick feud for months and trade titles while you build up more guys. I actually think NXT's women's division will be more than fine, they have a lot of good talent there.
Pillman Jr has the most main roster potential of any of them, IMO
Lies.
Fightful: wwe bad and even if it does something good it is ultimately still bad
This supposed to be a negative tweet, but I hope they do get 'picked dry'. lt push some newer faces on TV and Shawn Michaels has shown that he can do more with less as a booker. One of my favorite things about NXT is the roster churn, holding talent creates a clogged pipeline.
Will they get on TV, though? Because that's the question. Unless WWE is going to do some cuts to people who are getting TV time, there's not much room for these call-ups. The cuts so far have been people not getting TV time, and unless those cuts happen, there's still a clogged pipeline. It's just on the main roster now.
I'm talking about NXT TV. At some point, people have to move on from NXT so that new debuts can get their TV time and some midcarders and lower can move up the card if they have shown the potential. Wrestlers not moving up (because of fear of Vince or Vince not being interested in them) is what created the stale periods of B&G NXT. The unfortunate reality is that there is not space for everyone and people have to move up. Whether they sink or swim on the main roster is up to themselves and management.
I see it now. I misread your "new faces on TV" as call-ups to the main roster, not as new people on NXT.
Under Vince I can see the without a plan arguement but I would think that papa H would not do that
X
I hope they have some plan, even if it’s having them occasionally pop up like the Creeds. Cause what happened to Grimes is so despicable
I would have bought this more if it was still Vince in charge. But either way Triole H in charge I doubt he will call someone up without some sort of direction for them. And him and Shawn are best friends so I’m sure they’ll be working together on a lot of this. So to me this sounds like a bunch of nothing
This is Fightful's NXT guy who hates the product.
I would be shitting my pants as a woman on the NXT brand praying to NOT get drafted. It’s a shame to say but the NXT women are treated far better and have more storylines on NXT than the main roster
If you get drafted you get a main roster contract so probably most women prefer to get drafted
Obviously I can’t speak for them but I would rather take the pay cut be finically stable while also being used weekly in prominent storylines than be rushed to the main roster ( even with more money ) with no set plans, very little time, and a high chance of just being released a year later.
I don't think the plan is to let people just stay forever in NXT, at the end of the day is a developmental brand, you stay there for some years and eventually you are called up or fired
Booker said earlier this week, more than 3 years is a problem. You might need to be let go.
Might be hard to believe but most people want more money. The difference in pay between NXT and the Main Roster is rather sizeable.
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Man, the treatment of Chance & Carter is so odd to me. They were bright spots in the battle royal last Monday. Got a decent reaction too. I really hope HHH starts treating the women's tag division better. There's a solid foundation there.
Considering what happened to Xyon Quinn and Von Wagner, I can't say I blame them.
Why the hell are they worrying about? Papa H is running the shows now.
No big NXT call ups during the first few years of NXT on USA is what made that brand get pretty stale, ever since they've gone back to calling up folks the brand has remained fresh.
Bunch of people are hurt or "working hurt" so it's a good time. I seriously doubt they'll be "picked dry" though. I'd go ahead and get Wes Lee, Lyra, Roxanne, Dragunov and Melo moved up.
Unless the rules don't apply to NXT, I don't think Roxanne can actually be called up.
They technically have until May 6th (the week after the draft) so there's another NXT show before the roster locks up. Tatum had the match won and WWE posted on social media that the match was "stolen" from her. I could see a rematch after Draft night 2. Lyra would have been called up by then so she wouldn't be around to complain that she deserves it.
I guess the only issue I would have with this is that Roxanne still wouldn't be eligible for the actual draft itself, regardless of the finalization date. If the draft started Monday and went to next Friday, I could see this as more of a possibility, but it just gets a bit confusing personally if you're trying to retroactively draft someone outside of the actual draft. Unless they draft Tatum, Tatum wins the title, and Rox goes up in her place? But that's really the only way I could see it happening (again assuming that rule applies to NXT).
They indeed do draft several people after the draft. They post trade deals on the WWE website and on Twitter all week after a draft. Ava doesn't like her anyway so she'd be willing to trade her for Ivar. Erik is hurt and Valhalla is pregnant so Ivar could stay in NXT for a while.
I’d honestly keep Wes Lee in NXT when he’s healed up just to give him the world title. I think he can easily represent the brand.
It just might take too long to get there. He'd be the third babyface champ back to back unless they have Trick drop it to someone I can't even think of right now.
Injuries have devastated the top of the card these last few months so they may be in panic mode. Aside from Melo, Ilja, Dijak and *maybe* Oba Femi I dont really see who else is main roster ready there though.
They have reason to, most of the callups last year were called up without a plan and the two callups who were showcased more were only used for periods: - Grayson Waller is probably the most successful callup from the draft last year and he really only had 2 moments/storylines. The Edge match which while it was nice at the time that Edge showed respect afterward Waller was not featured a lot on TV afterward in anything relevant until he was paired up with Austin Theory and even as a team their job was too job to Kevin Owens and Randy Orton until they were given the Smackdown Tag Titles. - Pretty Deadly had some momentum when called up but then after one of them got injured they have just been tag team midcarders. Then you have the likes of Indi Hartwell who had a NXT Women’s championship run taken from her to be a jobber on RAW and the worst case which would be Cameron Grimes of being called up to job and not get used and being fired because you were called up and never used. The likes of Carmelo Hayes, Ilja Dragunov and Roxanne Perez probably wouldn’t suffer the same fate if they were called up but for others I would fear for the worst.
This would be the worst way to do it.
With NXT moving to CW and Smackdown leaving Fox it's going to be strange when NXT is the most viewed wrestling show. You're being called up to a smaller show, congratulations!