wrestling / Columns
Jack McGee’s Favorite NXT Performers And Their Main Roster Potential
September 14, 2014 | Posted by
I have been getting more into the WWE NXT product as of late, part of it is finding more time to watch the show, and part of it is wanting to just watch more wrestling. I am a fan after all. I haven’t been able to follow the weekly show as much as I would have liked, but have been a fan of the brand’s specials. They have a “Clash of the Champions” feel to them, and the first two in particular were great shows, some of WWE’s best of the year. I skipped out on Raw the last few weeks in order to play catch up for a few months worth of NXT and to be properly prepared for the latest special, which aired on Thursday night. I don’t regret that, because I enjoyed the overall experience more than I have been enjoying Raw. I got even more excited this week following Triple H’s recent NXT conference call as well as Greg DeMarco’s take on the brand. With that in mind, I thought that I would share some of my favorite NXT performers with you fine readers, and discuss their main roster potential. I hope you enjoy…
Enzo Amore and Big Cas
First up is Enzo Amore and Big Cas. Usually I am not the biggest fan of comedy acts, they certainly have their place in wrestling, but I have always been enthralled with the great story and the finality of a good feud. But these guys have really grown on me during my binge watching of NXT. They have a great chemistry; they have a great rap that the crowd is into and these sort of acts have their place. As a wrestler, I really like Big Cas’ potential and feel that they would be a fun and fresh addition to the main roster. I feel that if they were to be promoted to the main roster that Cas would be a wrestler, and that Enzo would be better suited as a manager. They have that ability to play off each other well, I don’t feel that Enzo’s a great wrestler or improving all that much in that aspect, but as a unit they are still something they can work with. Also, Enzo getting tossed around would be either a great pop if they are a heel or good sympathy if they are faces. With WWE using Heyman and Colter as managers, they are showing that they could embrace someone else in the manager’s role. “Bada Bing Bada Boom, The Realest Guys in the Room”.
Kalisto
WWE is desperately looking for their next Hispanic superstar, and while I will not christen him the next Rey Mysterio Jr, Kalisto is a guy that the WWE should put a lot of effort into. Prior to coming to WWE, Kalisto (as Samuray Del Sol) was tearing up the independent scene, specifically the work I saw of him in the WWNLive Universe (DGUSA/EVOLVE). Kalisto is still getting his footing in the WWE Universe, not quite showing the full on potential he had prior to signing, but part of that I feel is that WWE is re-educating him as a worker so that he can work with everyone. With the departure of Alberto Del Rio, and the fact that Rey Mysterio Jr. is all but gone at this point, the WWE needs that next Hispanic star, and Kalisto could be that guy. He’s a great high flyer, he’s small like Rey and can generate sympathy, he is a masked wrestler so he has the merchandizing angle, and I feel once they let him go a bit, the guy is money. I understand that the original Sin Cara failed for a lot of reasons (his ego, WWE wanting to change him too much) but Kalisto is different. He was born in the US, he speaks English, and he doesn’t have the ego issues like Sin Cara. WWE is going to have to try with someone if they want a bankable Hispanic star, they need to try with someone, if I had to guess on someone to succeed, I’d bank on Kalisto being that guy.
Sami Zayn
The former El Generico was a guy that many loved on the independent scene, but many fans and people like Jim Cornette felt he would never make it in WWE. Cornette was particularly critical because Generico wouldn’t unmask in ROH for very little money. When he signed with WWE, the mask was dropped and the pressure was on. As Sami Zayn, he put on some muscle mass, continued his tremendous in ring work and has actually gotten even better. Those that feared he wouldn’t succeed without the mask have been proven wrong, because his facials are some of the very best in the business. He perfectly sells the emotion, he brings you into the match, and he simply makes you believe. I think that Csonka said it best when he wrote, “Zayn is the perfect baby face, the fans love him and continue to root for him not matter what”. And that’s the thing, he is a pure, never say die, baby face. His moves, his selling, and the way he draws you in emotionally to a match; he does it all. People said Daniel Bryan would never make it let alone to the levels he did, and that’s because he traveled the world, can work with anyone and is simply put a great professional wrestler. The same things can be said for Sami Zayn. I won’t try to sell you on Zayn main eventing a WrestleMania, but you’d be insane to think he wouldn’t be a great addition to the WWE’s main roster.
Charlotte
Some may disagree, but I strongly feel that Charlotte is the kind of champion that the WWE’s women’s division should be rebuilt around and then focused on for years to come. When she was younger, she was classified as a level nine gymnast (USGA Level 9 is a hard level to reach. According to the USGA, very few people make it to level 9, and even fewer get there after just one year of level 8. Most spend at least two to three years at level 8. To be level 9 you will need to expect to train from 20-27 hours per week). She was all state in volleyball, and attended Appalachian State University where she was a Division-1 Full Scholarship Athlete in Varsity Volleyball. She has the look, and considering that she’s only been in wrestling since 2012, she has progressed way more than anyone could have expected. You’d have to look really hard to find someone that got into wrestling and progressed so quickly as she has. The athletic background, look and in ring ability are only part of the equation. Simply put, Charlotte not only “gets it,” but she has “it”. All so often we discuss that “it factor” in pro wrestling (not Bobby Roode, but that dude is great); a wrestler can be good, can have a look and can have great matches but sometimes that special something is missing. From the moment she comes out of the curtain, Charlotte is on. She looks like a champion, she walks like a champion, she works like a champion and she does the little things that most people so early in their career cannot even begin to grasp. If WWE ever wants to take women’s wrestling seriously, it starts and ends with Charlotte. She is not a diva, she’s not a “good women’s wrestler”, she’s a good wrestler that will only get better. And she may just end up being one of the very best if she keeps going at the pace she is now. If you’re going to do it, don’t just do it right, do it with Flair…
Who are your favorite NXT acts, and if you have a differing opinion, who entertains you the most and also has that main roster potential? Please share your opinions, keep it clean and lets have some fun discussion. Thanks for reading.
