As reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer newsletter, there are eleven talents in the“Terry Taylor,” class at the WWE Performance Center. For those of you who don’t know, that class is considered as the one that grooms talents whose call-ups to the main roster are imminent.
The class includes NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade “Cien” Almas, NXT Tag Team Champions D.I.Y. (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa), TM-61 (Shane Thorne and Nick Miller), Alexander Wolfe, Hideo Itami, Kassius Ohno, Elias Samson, and Tye Dillinger. As you may have noticed, The Revival have surprisingly been left out. WWE apparently want them to feud with TM-61.
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I’ll look at each talent and give my opinion as to whether or not they’re ready for the main roster.
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#1 Shinsuke Nakamura
This may be the biggest no-brainer on this list. While Nakamura may have needed some time in NXT to get accustomed to the WWE style, he’s been ready for the main roster for a while now.
Nakamura has a strange charisma about him, but he captivates every audience he’s in front of. If they let him be himself, and push him well on the main roster, I have no doubt in my mind that he will be a success.
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I am very interested in the result of his match with Bobby Roode at NXT Takeover, because if he loses the title, I could see him debuting in the Royal Rumble match.
Opinion: Ready
#2 Andrade “Cien” Almas
The man previously known as “La Sombra,” had a rough start to his stint in NXT. Being pushed as a babyface against the beloved Tye Dillinger and the debuting Bobby Roode, the NXT crowds rejected what they were given.
Finally, Almas turned heel against Cedric Alexander after they were eliminated from the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.Since then, his work has been stellar as a heel, and he’s starting to find himself in this character.
While he’s one of the best workers in the world, and he came into NXT ready to be a star, I’d like to see him given some more time to flesh out his character before getting the call-up.
Opinion: Ready, but wait
#3 D.I.Y. (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa)
Gargano and Ciampa are in a weird place. They’re absolutely ready for the main roster and are a tremendous babyface tag team, but I feel like The Revival will be called up to the main roster before them.
They have an interesting match ahead of them at the upcoming NXT Takeover against the Authors of Pain for their newly won Tag Team Championships. The Authors of Pain are still very green and would benefit tremendously from an extended program with Gargano and Ciampa.
However, NXT’s history has shown that the brand doesn’t care for extended runs for babyface Tag Team Champions (Average championship reign for babyface teams: 86 days. Average reign for heel teams: 189 days).
I can see a scenario where they wait until the Raw after WrestleMania to debut them on the main roster, but I feel that their call-up is imminent.
Opinion: Ready
#4 TM-61 (Nick Miller and Shane Thorne)
Formerly known as TMDK (The Mighty Don’t Kneel), Thorne and Miller have had a strange journey in NXT thus far. They came in with tremendous fanfare after what they had accomplished as a team in Japan for Pro Wrestling NOAH, but lost their debut match to Gargano and Ciampa.
The impressive team hasn’t clicked with a lot of fans like I’m sure they would have wanted, but Shane Thorne’s injury may have been a blessing in disguise. He underwent knee surgery on January 12th and will miss several months of action.
Word out of NXT is that the young team was thought to have been part of a series of talents that they wanted to repackage. Now, the powers-that-be at NXT have plenty of time to get it right.
Opinion: Not Ready (Injured)
#5 Alexander Wolfe
Wolfe debuted in the Summer of 2015 in a losing effort against Samoa Joe. He then teamed with Sawyer Fulton for a while before the two joined SAnitY. From what I’ve seen of his ring work, he looks like he’s capable.
However, considering that his current storyline has only been going on since September of 2016, I feel like he needs more time in developmental to flesh out his character and his ring work.
Opinion: Not Ready
#6 Hideo Itami
Formerly known as“KENTA,” Hideo Itami has had a string of bad luck with injuries since moving to NXT from Japan.
After suffering a shoulder injury in May of 2015 that was supposed to sideline him for six months, he would suffer complications with rehabbing his shoulder and would end up missing over a year of in-ring action.
He returned to television on August 3rd, 2016, but would suffer a neck injury due to a botched power slam from Riddick Moss on October 12th at an NXT live event.
He vowed to return to in-ring competition at NXT’s first show in Japan, but was relegated to an in-ring speaking segment with NXT General Manager, William Regal. Itami will turn 36 in March, and with his injury history, he may not have many miles left.
Opinion: Not Ready (Injured)
#7 Kassius Ohno
Better known as Chris Hero, “that young Knockout Kid,” Kassius Ohno is legitimately one of the best wrestlers in the world. After his first stint in NXT, Chris Hero left the company and spent his time working on the independent circuit, proving that he could have amazing matches with a variety of different wrestlers.
Much has been made of his physique being less than adequate to WWE standards, but that should not stop the company from having one of the best wrestlers in the world on their main roster.
If Kevin Owens can wrestle in a shirt, why can’t Ohno?
Opinion: Ready
#8 Elias Samson
“The Drifter,” looks to do everything right in the ring from a mechanical standpoint, and he’s got a great look, but his character is awful. Crowds hate him, and not in the way crowds are supposed to hate a heel.
They just want him to go away. I feel that he desperately needs a repackaging and he won’t sniff the main roster until that happens.
Opinion: Not Ready
#9 Tye Dillinger
The Perfect Ten has finally latched onto a gimmick that the crowd seems fully invested in and he looks to be getting ready for a main roster call-up, perhaps as soon as the Royal Rumble.
Dillinger’s time in the WWE has consisted of working developmental on and off since 2006, outside of three matches in WWE’s failed version of ECW.
Set to turn 36 in February, and finally over with the fans, it’s now or never for Dillinger if he ever hopes to make it to the main roster.
Opinion: Ready
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