5 Wrestlers once signed to NXT who have flourished elsewhere

#2: Juice Robinson

The former CJ Parker is glad he went to NJPW.

When Juice was a member of FCW/NXT, his main gimmick was that of a tree-loving, environmentalist hippie CJ Parker.

He was mainly used as an enhancement talent for a lot of bigger debuting stars like Kevin Owens and Sami Callihan. As that would frustrate anyone, Juice eventually was released after his run from 2011-2015.

He eventually went to NJPW and CMLL, becoming a fan favourite overseas. He became so popular that he defeated Jay White for the IWGP United State Championship. White had previously defeated Kenny Omega, the first-ever IWGP US Champ.

Since his popularity was on the rise, he has competed in the NJPW World Tag League and even the G1 Climax Tournament in 2017. While he probably already knew it, he has really shown that he was so much more than the hippie character he portrayed in NXT.

His success became so well-known worldwide that WWE took notice and tried to sign him again. He declined the offer, opting to stay in Japan. Can you really blame him?

Robinson might also be likely elevated up the card depending on who departs NJPW once the calendar year shifts to 2019. Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Cody could all feasibly leave NJPW, leaving a void of foreign babyfaces atop the roster.

Juice would be a perfect choice to at least challenge the top stars like Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito and Hiroshi Tanahashi for titles if any have them. NJPW would still need some noticeable North American faces to help spearhead further expansion into North America.

Robinson has already proven his popularity in the NJPW North American Specials Fighting Spirit Unleashed and the G1 Special in San Francisco. He's important to the future of NJPW regardless of what happens at year's end.