Triple H’s brainchild, NXT, has become one of the best things about the WWE these days. Offering a platform for lesser-known talent to hone their abilities, the professional wrestlers working down in Orlando, Florida all have high hopes of making it big on either Monday Night Raw or Smackdown Live.
And, why shouldn’t they? After all, the likes of Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and countless others have used the facilities available at NXT to build a legitimately awesome main roster career.
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But, these are the success stories. What about those that didn’t make it after their time in the WWE’s developmental brand? Unfortunately, not everyone can succeed on the big stage and there were a number of professional wrestlers whose popularity from NXT just didn’t transfer over to WWE’s major shows.
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Today, we explore 5 such talents that just couldn’t cut it on the main roster. So, without any further ado, here are 5 NXT superstars who failed on the WWE’s main roster:
#5 The Vaudevillains
The Vaudevillains are an example of some rare booking mistakes on NXT. They were getting popular as babyfaces when they were randomly turned heel just after capturing the NXT Tag Team Championships. Everything went downhill from there.
They would soon drop the belts and go on to lose a number of high profile matches against the likes of American Alpha and #DIY. It was during this terrible run that they also received their call-up to the main roster. Predictably, things did not get any better and the duo was unable to gain any sort of momentum.
Things have rock bottom for the pair now as Simon Gotch recently secured his release from the company leaving Aiden English to continue on as a jobber who loves to sing Opera.
#4 Adam Rose
Adam Rose was a great opportunity for the WWE. He received a lot of attention and sympathy from the WWE Universe following the airing of his story on ESPN, showcasing the struggles of Rose and his family. Unfortunately, this ended up being a missed opportunity for both the company and Rose himself.
Following his early gimmicks such as Leo Kruger failing, Adam Rose – the quintessential party boy gimmick based on Russel Brand – was born. And, he was an instant hit on the smaller stages of NXT.
The crowd got into his party boy gimmick and his elaborate entrances and things seemed to be looking up for him. The crescendo of his career came when he was called up to the main roster, validating years of hard work and struggle.
Unfortunately, this was a classic case of something working in NXT but not on the main roster and Rose would flounder before falling foul of the WWE’s Wellness Policy and finally being fired after being arrested on charges of Domestic Abuse. Rose is now on the cusp of retiring from professional wrestling.
#3 Tyler Breeze
We now come to a name that might actually have a shot at turning things around in his career. Tyler Breeze was considered to have the potential to be one of the top Superstars on the main roster when he was tearing it up in NXT under his “I’m so good looking” gimmick.
After overwhelming success in NXT, Breeze was left flailing on his call-up to the main roster as he instantly lost feuds and started dropping down the card rapidly. Things seemed to have hit an all-time low when he was straddled with another failed NXT talent – Fandango – to form the team of Breezango.
Someone in the creative seems to have remembered how good he used to be, though, as Breezango have been given a shot at the WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships. A good showing going forward can help resuscitate this dying career.
#2 Titus O’Neil
Titus O’Neil is terrible. He doesn’t know what he’s doing in the ring and he doesn’t know what he’s doing on the mic. He’s a big muscled man and he still can’t get on the right side of Vince McMahon. Everything about Titus screams “I shouldn’t be a professional wrestler.”
Unfortunately, he is one. He might have enjoyed a small modicum of success during his NXT days (winning the FCW Tag titles with Damien Sandow and later dropping it to Seth Rollins and Richie Steamboat) but that has not transferred over well to the main roster where he has been a joke for the majority of his time. If you don’t believe me, check out this promo of his:
Wow.
#1 Bo Dallas
Bo Dallas is a former NXT Champion. Former NXT Champions include the likes of Finn Balor and Seth Rollins. The two latter names I’ve mentioned have become global megastars. But, not Bo Dallas. He has fallen by the wayside.
Dallas was a gifted Superstar back in NXT but nothing seems to have worked out for him since his move to the main roster. He is a 3-Time FCW Champion (now known as NXT) and a 1-time NXT Champion. The Bolieve movement is well and truly dead. The only way back for Bo seems to be a repackaging or a trip back down to developmental for a while.
The potential is definitely there but there needs to be some serious effort in order to realise that potential.
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