Cewsh Scouts NXT 2013: The Next Wave

Good afternoon and welcome back to the laboratory here at the Cewsh Institute for Careful Observation and Contextual Knowledge. This week, we are putting all of our research personnel on the task of analyzing and grading the future stars of WWE‘s developmental program, NXT. We’ve already covered the champions of the the mini promotion, and now it’s time to really dig into the meat of the roster with our secnd breakdown. This time we’re going to be focusing on the people who we view as being the most likely to be called up some time soon, so that you can get some background on them before they’re flying through your television sets while your friends ask you, “Hey, who is that guy who really hates pants?”

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 all of the them are so carefully, scientifically calculated that even thinking about disagreeing with them makes Stephen Hawking cry. Joining me on this journey are my fellow pioneers in the art of appraisal, Artie, Dennis and Psycho. And together, we will tell you everything you need to know about the world of tomorrow. Or at least that part of it that will wind up running in on John Cena matches.

Sami Zayn

Pros:

- Immediate rapport with any crowd- Incredibly exciting in the ring- No obvious flaws

Cons:

- May need some additional work on promos- Lucha inspired styles have not always clicked with the WWE audience- May be pushed too hard at first due to his matches with Cesaro

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: N/A

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: N/A

Ready For Main Roster: N/A

Cewsh: Sami Zayn is the former El Generico, and he has made more noise since debuting on May 22nd than perhaps any other individual in NXT. His matches with Antonio Cesaro have been nothing short of breathtaking, and he’s shown an easy charm that has made him a clear audience favorite from the word go. Oddly enough, I never rated him highly during his time on the independent scene, though I saw the potential there, but he truly has blossomed in a big way since coming to WWE.

A mixture of a luchadore and a classic style babyface, Zayn has every tool at his disposal to be WWE’s new underdog sensation if he plays his card right. A great look, decent size, a terrific repertoire of moves and the wherewithal to make them count.

Honestly, the question isn’t whether or not Sami Zayn is ready for the main roster, it’s whether or not the main roster is ready for Sami Zayn.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Artie: OLE~! Sorry, had to get that out of the way.

Another big name indy guy now working for WWE, Sami Zayn may be one of the most oddly complete packages to ever walk into WWE developmental. You see, for years, under his El Generico promo, we never saw his face or heard him give a real promo. Now in NXT, he’s unmasked to reveal that he’s fucking handsome AND he cuts a wonderful little promo. His in-ring style is actually perfect for the WWE and he’s one of the most easily likable guys ever. With just a few more months down in NXT to further develop character and work on a finisher, Sami Zayn will be absolutely ready for the main roster.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: A

Dennis: The former El Generico… I’ll be honest, I had my doubts. Wasn’t the biggest fan of El Generico in the first place. When the first pictures of him mask-less leaked, I thought “he’s…. Generic”. He had a very plain look to him and he’s not very big and I just thought he wouldn’t be able to go far at all. Then I saw him live. Man, he was exciting. But that’s not enough in WWE so I still had my doubts.

Then he puts on a little bit of muscle, that helps in WWE land, then he starts cutting promos… and they’re good. Then he KILLS it in a promo/match with Antonio Cesaro. He’s now firmly in the NXT Title race and deservedly so. He’s mega over with the NXT crowd and I honestly see a bright future for him. He’s not a bad promo and he’s great in the ring. Sami Zayn came in ready.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Psycho: We all know him as El Generico, a man of very little words who would never be caught dead without a mask. Highly entertaining, electric, and loved by many fans, Generico had all the tools to be a star…if it weren’t for the gimmick being a joke. Many speculated whether he could cut it without the mask, but upon removing it, Sami Zayn emerged as a man who knows how to pull you in.

In a matter of weeks, he’s displayed a strong command of the microphone. Somehow, he enters a room filled with fans, and they immediately connect with the guy and get on his side. It turns out his success was not just the charm of his gimmick: El Generico, or rather, Sami Zayn is star material. He knows this business, and knows how to please a crowd. It’s too soon to be a fair judge, but we might be witness to one of the most meteoric rises in the WWE from one of the most unexpected men to ever grace a ring…but did we ever really doubt Generico’s ability?

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: B+

Ready For Main Roster: No… but only because he just arrived.

Emma

Pros:

- Solid foundation of technical expertise- Undeniable likability- A natural babyface, wrestling’s rarest commodity

Cons:

- Can come off flat on promos- Her gimmick will either sink or swim and nothing in between- N/A

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: N/A

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: N/A

Ready For Main Roster: N/A

Cewsh: I’ve made a big deal in the past about indy wrestlers who I “called” so to speak. Meaning that I predicted their success before it took place. But while I’d love to take credit for Emma, it was actual Mrs. Cewsh who, after seeing her wrestle in Shimmer for the first time as Tenielle, said, “We’d better get her autograph now, she’ll be in WWE by the end of the year.” We gushed about her in our reviews of that event, and lo and behold, she was right and even so, in that time, Emma he has grown so much that it beggars belief.

She got her training from Lance Storm, and you can see it in her simple mastery of technical wrestling and her ability to carry lesser opponents to solid matches, which will serve her well in the current Divas landscape. But while she is frankly advanced in the ring compared to her peers, it’s her strangely lovable gimmick as everyone’s favorite weird dancing, bubble loving weirdo that has marked her for future success. The gimmick itself is very niche, and may not make it to the main roster, but through it she has shown a great ability to run with anything given to her and commit. That will serve her well no matter how they present her on Raw.

In sports scouting, there’s a lot of talk about ceilings and floors. A person’s ceiling is how good they could possibly get, while their floor is the bare minimum of how good they will be. And that is apt here when comparing Paige and Emma, the two future stars of the Divas division. Paige has the higher ceiling, with the potential to be a transcendent star, but Emma has the higher floor. The worst that Emma will be is very good. As for the best, well, we’ll have to see.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Artie: Another young female veteran, Emma was trained by Lance Storm and it definitely shows in her ring work. Her character is quite silly, yet surprisingly over. I’m very much unsure of how the character would work on WWE television or if she’d even have a real character, which is what I feel could hold her back the most. She’s been in developmental for just over two years, but she may just be ready for main roster action soon. Personally, I’d keep her in NXT for another year at the very least.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: B-

Dennis: Emma is an example of “WWE must read Cewsh Reviews” because shortly after Cewsh praised her, she was signed. I love Emma; what should be a stupid dance has become insanely over with the crowd. Everybody in the arena joins in and Emma is charismatic enough to pull it off. The thing that tops it all is, when the bell rings, she proceeds to be amazing in the ring as well. Emma’s special and I think the dance that’s gotten so over in NXT will EASILY carry over to the main WWE audience, especially the kids.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Psycho: Charming and beautiful, this “rookie” diva also wrestles better than your favorite WWE low-carder. That’s probably true in most cases, because she has a unique style when she grapples. Her charisma bleeds into her performance while her move-set mastery only helps her to stand out more than she already does. Her dance is bizarre, her whole schtick is strange, but the fans have immediately fallen in love with it, and she’s made it all work into her platter of pure wrestling potential.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: A-

Ready For Main Roster: Almost

Kassius Ohno

Pros:

- Has a built in fanbase of smark fans- Immediate history with both Antonio Cesaro and CM Punk- Is capable of some truly great things

Cons:

- Inconsistent- Doesn’t stand out on his own- Unimpressive build

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: Kassius Ohno, (previously Chris Hero to you indy fans,) has a lot going for him. He has a solid look, he has easy connections to two guys on the main roster, (Antonio Cesaro and CM Punk,) and he has a wealth of experience from wrestling in virtually every promotion on the planet over the past 10 years. All of that makes him very comfortable in the ring and on the mic, and he’s adapting quickly.

But it’s important to understand that he’s not there yet, and he’s still trying to work the kinks out of a new in-ring style and a new kind of character, just like CM Punk, Low Ki and Daniel Bryan had to. Ohno isn’t the talent those three are, but he’ll be a solid addition to the main roster in a year or so.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: No

Cewsh: Believe me when I tell you that I’m not happy to be saying what follows here.

Kassius Ohno, formerly Chris Hero, was a low key favorite of mine on the independent scene for years. He was likable, he had some memorable matches, and he seemed like one of those guys who was naturally right on the cusp of being special. But the thing is that he never GOT special. He was never a Ring of Honor world champion, even in the days where your mother could have been ROH World Champion if she had been willing to teach the school for 6 months.

He was never one of the names that people clamored to see. And it wasn’t until his tag team with Antonio Cesaro that he really clicked as someone who was truly important. After that his stock rose through the roof, and WWE brought him in, much to all of our delight. But the results since Ohno has arrived in WWE have been… mixed.

Basically, it breaks down like this. Kassius Ohno has not had a standout moment since joining the company. He has been put in the right position to do so, and was even given a feud with Regal that mirrored the one that put Dean Ambrose on the map. But at the end of all of it, here he is being surpassed again and again by other people with less credentials and less hype. His promos are not strong, his character is poorly defined, and he seems to disappear in his own matches. Since our review of him last year, he seems to have declined worryingly. And with the rumors of management heat for his inability to keep in shape added on top of this, I find it hard to sit here and honestly tell you that Kassius Ohno can be a success in WWE.

I’m still rooting for him, and I badly want to be proven wrong. But Ring of Honor might want to wait by the phone. WWE won’t wait on Ohno forever.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: C-

Ready For Main Roster: No

Artie: Legend of the independent circuit, the former Chris Hero, has adopted quite beautifully to the wacky world of World Wrestling Entertainment. He seems to have learned the art of condensing matches down to 10 minutes faster than either of his predecessors in CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. He’s got a fantastic look these days, with the beard and slimmer body, and obviously knows how to wrestle well, but in a controversial move here, I’m going to say that he’s not quite ready for the main roster yet. Ohno seems to still struggle with delivering strong promos as we saw in his feud with William Regal and his finishing maneuver, a discus elbow, will need to be changed before he hits the main roster, as Wade Barrett already uses something similar.

Hero’s Prospect Grade: A-

Dennis: Kassius is a toughie for me. Kassius Ohno is my favorite wrestler currently. Now that fluctuates frequently, but it’s the truth as of now. So it’s hard for me to point out his flaws. I love his unique move-set. He has an almost infinite move-set and just when you think “Man, Ohno’s been boring as of late, he’s been doing the sam… WHOA WHAT WAS THAT?! That was awesome!” He has a great ability to be “out of nowhere” with his moves. I like that he’s not the prototype model of a wrestler either. He manages to take his fairly average looking self, and make it dangerous because he’s unpredictable. I even like his promo work, though some don’t agree, I like his calm/quiet approach to an interview.

Kassius Ohno pretty much joined FCW/NXT ready for the main roster as a well seasoned worldwide performer. All he needed to learn was the WWE style, which he has done. He had a great feud with William Regal that I believe he shined in. But SOMETHING is missing. I don’t know what it is, maybe he needs one more big feud to push him over the top. He’s currently in a good one with The Wyatt Family, so we’ll see where that goes. But Kassius has yet to reach his full potential, I feel. I think a chance on the main roster may be sink or swim for him, but I also think it’s the only way he will evolve any more than he has already.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: A

Ready For Main Roster: Yes. But it may be a crapshoot on whether or not he’ll be successful.

Psycho: While still one of the hottest prospects on the NXT roster, Ohno has cooled down a bit in momentum it feels. Ring-wise, he’s still on top of his game (though on rare occasions disappointing), and personality-wise, he’s still quirky and has that Kassius Ohno charm. There’s just…something missing. Perhaps it’s his recent face turn, maybe it’s the abrupt postponing of his feud with Richie, but it feels like he’s taken a step back. This is probably a slump of which he’ll rise out, but something has to be worked out before they bring him up.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: Not Quite

Leo Kruger

Pros:

- Aura of danger- Tremendous character work- Awesome backstory

Cons:

- Tendency towards dull matches- Doesn’t shine in normal promos- Already 34

Last Year’s Analysis:

Cewsh: Leo Kruger is from South Africa, and is currently working a “Big Game Hunter” gimmick that has main roster written all over it. His gimmick intensity is tremendous, his look is just right, and this act is bound for stardom without a question in my mind. The only thing stopping me from putting my stamp of approval on him is that he just recently really transitioned into his current gimmick and still needs some time to work out the kinks in his in-ring style to make it just right. There may be something special here, but it needs more time to simmer.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: Allllllllmost

Cewsh: Leo Kruger is an imperfect prospect. It’s likely that he will never be a really great in-ring performer, and that’s just who he is as a product. He gets the job done, and his character work is first rate, but his matches don’t excite and I don’t think he’ll ever get over based on them. If WWE expects him to become someone who can do that, then they should release him now and accept what they have in him.

BUT, they shouldn’t release him now, because he offers a whole hell of a lot in other ways. There isn’t anybody in NXT right now who carries an aura around with them of danger and THREAT like Kruger does. Simple things like sitting next to the ring and watching matches lead to huge stretches of me watching him to see what he’ll do rather than watching what is in the ring.

That’s a special quality and he has worked diligently at finding the aspects of his character that work. If they have a plan for him when they bring him up, then this man could make WWE some god damned money, especially since he isn’t exactly The Boogeyman in the ring. But he will require more careful handling and carries more risk of failure than anyone else we’ve mentioned here.

Buyer beware.

Cewsh’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: Yes

Artie: A ravenous South African madman, Leo Kruger is certainly an interesting one. He’s got a unique character, but not a perfect one. I like the direction in which he’s heading, but he needs to adopt a more Kraven the hunter like approach to it. His in-ring work is solid and he has a great look, I just feel like he needs more time to fully flesh out this character and develop all of the little things that could make it a big time gimmick.

Artie’s Prospect Grade: A-

Dennis: Leo Kruger is one of my favorites. He plays this character that could be considered over the top, but never seems forced. The man himself has more ability than he can necessarily show on TV. At many NXT Live Events I’ve attended, he’s had some of the most hilarious Comedy Matches I’ve ever seen. He has a lot more charisma & entertainment value than you may have seen.

The point is, the character he plays is great and he plays it well, but he’s capable of anything that is asked of him. He’s very athletic and talented in the ring as well, with a slew of great matches under his belt both pre-and-post “creepy hunter” persona. He adds lots to NXT events, and I think he has all the tools, but I don’t see where his character could fit on Raw or Smackdown right now, unfortunately. Sometime soon though, I’m confident in that.

Dennis’ Prospect Grade: B+

Ready For Main Roster: He has the tools, the man is ready, but I don’t see where he’d fit right now.

Psycho: He’s been absent from much of NXT TV as of late, but that has not deteriorated his abilities. He runs the ring like it was a state and he was a governor. No match goes without psychology and exciting mannerisms that add more flavor to otherwise bland moments. His speech is…passionate, but a bit goofy.

It mostly work with the twisted personality he’s portraying, but it seems a lot of those are popping up in the WWE. Perhaps his gimmick should have the slightest bit of tweaks? Or maybe I’m just harping on nothing? Regardless, Kruger has a lot of talent that seems to be focused, we just haven’t seen much focus on him since the NXT shift, so bringing him up now would be a bit odd.

Psycho’s Prospect Grade: B

Ready For Main Roster: No?

Well that will do it for part two of our breakdown of the NXT roster. Tune in tomorrow to check out 5 more in depth scouting reports from our varied panel of wrestling scientists, and don’t forget to check out NXT on Hulu so you can see the future of WWE for yourself. Until next time, fellow C.O.C.K.s.