Cewsh Scouts NXT 2013: The Mentionables

Well boys and girls, it’s been fun. You came to the Cewsh Institute for Careful Observation and Contextual Knowledge and over the past week you really went to town. You really pumped it for all that it’s worth. You…what’s that? We’re in danger of losing our PG-13 rating? Oh fine.

What I’m trying to say is that over the past week we’ve been sharing with you our analytic insight on the top talents working in NXT, WWE‘s developmental promotion. We’ve shown you some guaranteed stars, and some that aren’t even guaranteed a parking space, and all around it’s been a rollicking good time for everyone. But all good things do eventually have to come to an end, and today we cover the third and final installment of Cewsh Scouts NXT 2013.

Once again we will be judging these men and women on skills as well as their apparent readiness to fit in on the main roster and make a name for themselves. Grades will be assigned to represent their potential at this point, and today’s wrestlers reviewed will be those that aren’t champions and aren’t on the verge of being called up. Hell, they might be downright miscellaneous. But we love them anyway. Joining me one last time are my fellow questers into the jowls of judgement, Artie, Dennis and Psycho. So let’s not delay. Bring on that sweet, sweet learnin’!

Connor O’Brian

Pros:

- Big

- Cool coat

- N/A

Cons:

- Boring promos

- Boring matches

- Boring promos and matches

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: N/A

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: N/A

Ready For Main Roster: N/A

Cewsh: On his own, Connor O’Brian is basically the Boogeyman without the fun.

Let that sink in for a minute.

I know that this entry is going to sound mean, and I would like to point out that I have nothing against the man and he may very well be capable of changing my mind. It happens all the time. But here’s the book on Connor:

He has great size, and an interesting look, though he just doesn’t seem to fit his gimmick as this gothic weirdo the way that the other members of the Ascension have. In his years in wrestling, he’s always had the reputation for being someone whose look wasn’t quite there, and whose matches were a great excuse to take up a new hobby, such as self face stabbing for example. This hasn’t changed. And while he is perfectly fine in a tag team where he can just do power moves from time to time and be protected by his partner, WWE is not a tag team heavy promotion. Eventually he would have to set out on his own. And, yeah. He won’t.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: D

Ready For Main Roster: No

Dennis: O’Brian is very imposing and scary. He has a tremendous presence about him. He’s another one who uses little things/mannerisms to really get across his character. Things like the disturbing little head-flick he does. “TSST!”. And the mighty roar, by god. He is scary. Besides a few unique spots, though, he’s rather basic in the ring. As of right now he requires his Ascension tag team partner (at this time, it’s Rick Victor) to really feed off of and be a complete package. He has the potential for future singles stardom for sure, though.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: C+

Ready For Main Roster: Almost, not quite. Missing… something to make him a complete package on his own.

Psycho: I’ll start by saying Conor O’Brian is physically intimidating and has a muscular figure that trumps most of the roster. The problem is he’s always been a mixed bag of success. The Ascension gimmick is something fresh for the era, but his performance often comes out cheesy. As a wrestler, he’s a hard-knocks brawler that is fun with a worthy opponent, but he was much more entertaining when he had a partner in crime. Let’s get on with this supposed pairing with Rick Victor so the Ascension can rise…again!

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: C+

Ready For Main Roster: No

Bayley

Pros:

- Very solid in the ring

- Charming character that she commits to fully

- Great experience at a young age

Cons:

- Needs more experience

- Sink or swim gimmick

- N/A

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: N/A

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: N/A

Ready For Main Roster: N/A

Cewsh: Much like Emma and Paige before her, I was fortunate enough to see Bayley perform in Shimmer before she signed with WWE. Since she hasn’t had many matches in NXT thus far, that makes it a lot easier to judge who she is as an in ring performer, and that’s a big reason why I recommend that anyone who wants to see the future of WWE unfolding should be following Shimmer closely. But we’re talking about Bayley specifically and, setting her character aside for a moment, she has proven herself to be very solid in the ring. I can’t point to any one great performance that she has had in her career, but she has steadily improved over time, and has anchored a number of quality midcard matches in a relatively short period of time. She impressed the Shimmer office enough that she seemed primed for a big push before WWE signed her, and since that is a wrestling focused promotion, that tells you that she wasn’t messing around.

Now back to her character. She’s a strange mixture of Eugene and announcer Maria and I find it difficult to get a solid read on what her character is supposed to be or where it’s intended to go. But what is undeniable is that she has taken to it in a big way, and it has gotten her over with the crowd in short order. Whether it will translate to the main stage or whether it will need to be changed remains to be seen, but it is working for her right now.

I’ve praised her a lot thus far, but I also want to make it clear that she’s not far along in her development cycle. The potential is there, but this is someone who could be special with a year of attention and training out of the shadow of Emma and Paige, and hopefully she’ll get it. The scouting report on her next year should be interesting.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B-

Ready For Main Roster: No

Artie: Bayley is beyond precious and just flat-out adorable. She hasn’t shown us too much in the way of in-ring technicality, but she works the matches quite well as her character. I firmly believe that another few months in NXT perfecting her character and Bayley will belong on the roster.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: B-

Dennis: Bayley is another one who’s unique character makes her so much better. It’s not been shown too much on TV (it has a little bit), but she’s recently adopted this goofball character. She waves at the crowd like a little girl “Hi!”. She always seems star struck to be in the ring with her opponent, no matter who it is, she’s a huge fan. She wants to hug & high five them, and emulate their moves/mannerisms (which she always hilariously gets wrong)… but here’s the cool twist… whenever they don’t want to (always) and start beating her up… she gets angry and goes off an them, and kicks their a**. On top of all this, she’s good in the ring, as most former shimmer wrestlers are. I love Bayley, but she needs just a little bit longer to develop this great character before exposing it to the World.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: Almost

Psycho: This girl is a special talent. I believe she’s only been on NXT no more than 3 times, but she makes me hungry for more. Her character is mysterious, forcing you to wonder what she will be like, or where she will fit into the roster. One thing is for sure is that she has that glow of a star, and is rather sound in the ring. I want more Bailey in my life. I need it.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: B-

Ready For Main Roster: No

Xavier Woods

Pros:

- Hugely charismatic

- Very comfortable on the mic

- Gifted athleticism

Cons:

- On the small side

- Gimmick may not translate to main roster

- No longer awesomely named Consequences Creed

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: N/A

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: N/A

Ready For Main Roster: N/A

Cewsh: There are some guys who are just fun to watch. Some of them are great performers, some of them are natural comedians, and some of them bleed charisma so heavily that you feel like you need to wash your clothes after watching them. Xavier Woods is in that mold, as a guy who comes on screen, entertains you endlessly with his antics, delivers a solid match, and dances his way back off again. I would be lying if I said that I saw main event potential in Woods, because his height will be a problem even in the new WWE, and I’ve never really seen anything serious from him. But wrestling isn’t about a roster full of John Cena‘s, and if you’re looking for a midcarder to jazz up your show and sell some t-shirts to kids, I don’t think there’s a more viable young prospect in all of wrestling to fill that spot than Xavier Woods.

All hail Professor X.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B+

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Artie: Talk about a funky guy. Last I saw Woods, he was in TNA, where I thought he was immensely entertaining. Tuning into NXT and I’m happy to announce that he’s still damn entertaining. I love his current gimmick of being a 90′s geek and in today’s hyper-nostalgic society, I can see it being very over with the 20-something crowd. His in-ring style reminds me of Kofi as being very crisp, but spontaneous and his promos are pretty spot-on. I can see him fitting right into the main roster with very little issue.

Hero’s Prospect Grade: A

Dennis: Xavier Woods at first was nothing more than “Hey, it’s Consequences Creed” to me for a while. But recently his “That Nerdy 90′s Guy” character has been really growing on me. Mostly because I know it’s not a character. In the parking lot after the shows, the man has a Super Mario iPhone case, a Ninja Turtles backpack, and a Power Rangers gym bag. We’ve had lengthy conversations with him about anime and video games. He’s doing what so many wrestlers say makes them the most successful, he’s playing an exaggerated version of himself. And he’s doing it so well. He’s a unique character, and he’s exciting in the ring. I’d love to see him on Raw or Smackdown.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: B+

Ready For Main Roster: Give him a shot.

Psycho: To be honest, I had trouble caring for Xavier Woods when I started watching FCW. He was one of those people who tried so hard to have a personality that he was somehow void of one. He disappeared off TV, and next thing you know, he pops up in recent weeks with new vigor and swagger. Somehow…it seems to work already. His “return” match was one of the most interesting bouts of his I had watched to this point, and for once I’m interested to see where he goes. Kudos, Woods, for catching my attention.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: C-

Ready For Main Roster: No

Anyone Else?

Bray Wyatt

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Artie: The crown jewel of the Rotunda boys, Bray Wyatt is the absolute package. He’s got the character down perfectly, the mic skills to keep the crowd hooked on his every word, and the ring presence to pull it all together. The WWE hasn’t seen anyone this ready the main roster in years. Everything from his ring entrance to the way in which he incorporates the character of Bray Wyatt into the way he moves and wrestles is just perfect. There are wrestlers on the main roster right now who could take lessons from young Mr. Wyatt here.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: A+

Psycho: While the other Rotunda brother is a lot like his father (talented but forgettable), Bray Wyatt exceeds family expectations and carves his own path into the wrestling world. Even as Husky Harris, there was something that drew your eyes to the guy, but it wasn’t until he was given freedom with his character that he truly began to shine. Perhaps the best presence in the company altogether, whether it be his haunting glare or his chilling words, and he hasn’t even stepped foot on WWE Television yet. Always psychological in the ring, and though he’s yet to have a stellar match, he hasn’t quite received the opportunity to do so.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Have you seen him on Raw?

The Wyatt Family

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Dennis: Luke Harper – The former Brodie Lee is a smash-mouth throwback. He hits hard, and out of nowhere. I’ve been a fan of his for a little while and can confidently say that he’s improved tremendously in NXT. He’s done what’s so hard for people coming from the indies to do, taken what he’s good at, and learned where to place it in a match to better tell a story. He’s got a unique look too and I think once the Wyatt Family drifts their own ways, unlike Erick Rowan, Luke Harper should have a bright future of his own. At the very least a successful midcard monster for years to come.

Erick Rowan – Erick Rowan is part of the amazing Wyatt Family. He plays his part very well. The problem is that his part consists of being the “stupid” one who can’t think for himself. And by design his moves are boring and robotic at times. Because of this I can’t really properly evaluate him. As a part of a whole, he serves his purpose great.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade:

Luke Harper – B+

Erick Rowan – C-

Psycho: When these two step into a ring, you know you must prepare for absolute destruction. They play the part of brain-washed bayou country boys almost too well. Their very appearance is grotesque. Individually or as a tag team, they have a way of grabbing your attention and holding onto it when they enter the ring. There’s no flash, no bells and whistles: they’re just rough b**tards that like to clobber the hell out of any poor fool who is booked to wrestle them. Hard to say much about Rowan as an individual, but Luke Harper has the best clothesline among his co-workers.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: B+

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Rick Victor

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: C

Ready For Main Roster: No

Dennis: Rick Victor was doing well for himself towards the end of FCW, but hasn’t adjusted with the evolution into NXT very well. He’s floundered for months until recently becoming Conor O’Brian’s new partner in a reformed Ascension. He fits this role perfectly, perhaps better than the man he replaced (Kenneth Cameron). The new Ascension puts it together much better than the former Ascension. Victor plays his character well and is competent in the ring. I think Rick Victor, like his partner O’Brian, is not ready for the main roster on his own. However the tag team of The Ascension could do wonders for the Tag Team Division on Raw or Smackdown.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: C

Ready For Main Roster: As part of the tag team, yes, not as a singles guy.

Psycho: Well, the dude has been mostly non-existent since the last scout report, outside of house show confirmations of an alliance with O’Brian, so…uhh…here’s my report from last year!

Rick Victor has something in him. He has a strong arsenal of maneuvers, and he actually knows how to use them well, but he’s not the most charismatic man. He tries, and he definitely is an oddball of a character, but I don’t think he has anything the fans can relate with yet. He’d make a good midcard contender at this point, but he has a path to improvement before he can deserve some gold on his waist.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: C+

Ready For Main Roster: No

Mason Ryan

Cewsh: I think we all understand that I’m ever bit the muscle mark that everyone claims that Vince McMahon is. As such, when I first saw Mason Ryan on Raw, when he dramatically helped CM Punk take over the Nexus, I saw something special. Not just in his look, but in the way that he did things. Unfortunately, that didn’t translate to the ring, where he looked hesitant and sloppy more often than not.

I’ve commented before on the propensity of big guys who haven’t previously played physical sports seeming very tentative about hurting people and using their size, and how that’s a thing that many of them never overcome. That renders their size useless. Luckily, Ryan has improved on this hugely, and I continue to see something special buried deep down there. It may come to the surface and it may not, but watch out if it does.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: C+

Ready For Main Roster: No

Dennis: Mason Ryan, I feel bad saying this because he’s a real nice guy, but I don’t think he’s gonna get much of anywhere. He’s been showing noticeably more charisma of late, and he of course has a scary-ridiculous look to him. He’s HUGE, and CUT. But his matches are boring. Always. Whenever it’s more than a squash, it’s boring, and that’s a shame. It really is. Unless he improves a little more (I don’t see that happening, unfortunately), he may find himself joining Derrick Bateman & Briley Pierce sooner than later.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: D

Ready For Main Roster: No

Psycho: If this report had taken place while Ryan was a part of the main roster, I would have trashed the guy so hard that he’d smell like spoiled ranch for weeks. He would be lucky to score more than a D, and WWE must have taken note of this as he was removed from television and seemed to wallow in the darkness…until a few weeks ago when he re-debuted on NXT with a whole new resolve. His moves appear to be less dangerous, and he actually knows how to not only play his power role well, but also be a generally entertaining wrestler. His showing in the NXT Battle Royal was phenomenal, and is one of the reasons why that match is worth a watch(That’s a great match, by the way. You should watch it if you haven’t already).

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: C+

Ready For Main Roster: No

Well that’ll do it for this scouting report. We hope you enjoyed our yearly excursion into the the future, and that you’ll recognize a few of these faces when they arrive with great pomp and circumstance on your television screen. If you noticed any of your favorite NXT wrestlers missing from our report, that either means that they were pulled up to the main roster already or haven’t been very active on the shows of late. But don’t worry, there’s always next year!

Let’s have a big round of applause for my three guest scientists who gave up the time that they would have spent curing cancer in order to do this, and a bigger round of applause to you for being both literate and incredibly handsome. Until next time!