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Like every year, this year too a fresh batch of 'main roster ready' wrestlers were called-up from NXT. A total of 7 wrestlers were called this year. Unfortunately, all 7 of them have failed to make their mark. There were some high points in each of their runs, but that was very short lived. It never felt like they are as destructive here as they were in NXT. Some of these wrestlers are just being used for squashing by other wrestlers to make the latter look stronger.
However, this was not the case in previous years. For comparison purpose, let's look at the NXT call-ups of 2017. Superstars like Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, and Shinsuke Nakamura were called up, they were made to look like stars. Nakamura won the Royal Rumble in 2018, Samoa Joe became the no. 1 heel of the company and Bobby Roode became the United States Champion. If we compare the call-ups of these two years, none of the called-up wrestler this year are booked half as good as previous years' NXT stars.
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Let's look at each called-up wrestler separately and the position they are in right now
No Way Jose
His call-up was unexpected. When he showed up initially at Raw many experts and fans thought that he needed some more time in the developmental. It seemed kind of rushed. He is clearly not ready for the main roster. He needs to work on his wrestling moves more and his promo delivery is also below par. In Raw right now, he is just stuck in the upper mid-card having fights with other jobbers without any storyline to fill the TV time. He is not even seen on the show regularly. If he would have spent another year at NXT, then next year maybe he would have come up looking a lot better.
2. The IIconics
They are probably the best women wrestlers at dialogue delivery. The fun they make, and the way they say those things about their opponents before the match is hilarious and entertaining. They have the right skill-set to be a WWE tag team. But, since coming to Smackdown, their performance has decreased a bit. Maybe, they are too much dependent on their promos to sell their matches, which never happened when they were in NXT. Like No Way Jose, they too are currently stuck in the upper mid-card having meaningless matches with Lana or Naomi.
3. SAnitY
Many including me, believed that the SAnitY will prove to be darkhorse. All three have the different set of qualities that makes this team even more dangerous. Initially, they had a feud with The New Day, that did not last very long and many have already forgotten about it. They would have probably benefited more if WWE would have booked them the way they booked The Shield.
But, they still have a chance to shine. With the tournament for determining the no. 1 contender for Smackdown Tag Team Championship coming up, SAnitY needs to put everything they have to win this, otherwise, it will be a long road for them from here.
4. Ember Moon
Ember Moon joined the Raw in April 2018 after dropping the NXT Women's Championship to Shayna Baszler at NXT Takeover: New Orleans. Ember had a good start in the main roster as on the first night itself as she was paired with then Raw Women's Champion, Nia Jax. She was even part of the Money in the Bank ladder match and was having great matches against Riott squad during that time. But since then, she just started fading away from the limelight. Right now she is used for filling the slots in meaningless tag team matches involving other jobbers like Alicia Fox, Dana Brooke, Mickie James, etc.
5. Authors of Pain
Many fans anticipated this call-up. Under the guidance of Hall of Fame manager Paul Ellering, The Authors of Pain went from mediocrity to NXT Tag Team Champions. They were the face of the NXT in 2017. Many even predicted that they would be thrown to the title picture straight away after coming to Raw, just after weeks of build-up because of the thinness of Raw tag team division after teams like The Bar and SAnitY were sent to Smackdown.
But that is not how WWE management thinks. They disappeared from Raw completely just a week after debuting. Many fans who don't follow NXT never knew about their existence until late June when WWE writers finally decided to make them part of the show. Their first long feud on Raw was with Titus Worldwide, another jobber team, which is still going on. The talent that this duo possesses is being wasted in the mid-card. It is the team that comes once in a generation. If WWE plays its cards right, they can do wonders with these team.
6. Andrade "Cien" Almas w/Vega
Prior to ever signing with WWE, Almas was a huge name in the Mexican Lucha Libre scene. He won dozens of championships with top promotions like CMLL. He was ready for WWE to even before coming to WWE. After debuting in NXT, it was the matter of months before he reached the top of the ladder by becoming NXT champion.
During his call-up to the main roster, WWE advertised him as the top star, the one everybody needs to watch out for. But, their execution strategy was different. After finally showing up on Smackdown on 15th May, he started a feud with Sin Cara. The matches were below the standards that Almas has set for himself. Then he entered into a feud with Rusev which feels longer than it actually is due to the same matches being booked multiple times. These matches were booked to separate Rusev and Aiden English rather than getting Almas into the limelight.
Many including me thought that he would be challenging for the WWE Championship within months. But, right now he is not even close to United States title, forget about WWE championship.
Drew McIntyre
Once viewed as "The Chosen One" by Vince McMahon himself, Drew somehow went from potential top-guy to the third leg of 3MB. WWE released Drew in 2014, after which he went on a mission to improve himself as a0 wrestler by winning championships all over the world. From ICW to Impact Wrestling, Drew had become a global Superstar.
Like Authors of Pain, Andrade Cien Almas, SAnitY, his call-up was a no-brainer too. He was the main roster ready even before getting in NXT. After spending some time in developmental and ruling it over by consistently having great matches and winning NXT championship, it was time for the soldier to return to his homeland. But his run on Raw is not going as expected so far. They paired him with Dolph Ziggler on the first night itself. Now, he is just helping Ziggler to win the Intercontinental title by interfering in his match with Seth Rollins. He is a kind of guy that every wrestling company would want. He is a great wrestler who should be used wisely by the management. Otherwise, another precious jewel would be wasted by the hands of Vince.
