NXT vs. Main Roster

     In recent years, the NXT Takeover specials have occured the night before the "Big Four" WWE PPV events.  With Money In the Bank this year being a dual-brand PPV, it will step up to be included in the new "Big 5."  With that in mind, Takeover: Chicago will be happening the night before.  Since then, wrestling fans have been comparing the Takeover events to their WWE main show counterparts, with some even claiming Takeover was better.  While I happened to enjoy some Takeover events more than the WWE shows the next night, I don't think it's a fair comparison.  It's not exactly the same audience!  But, why does this comparison happen?  I happen to like the Takeover specials, as well as the WWE PPV's.  Why can't I like both?  Why does one have to be superior to the other? This blog will be about how and why certain wrestlers don't always make the same impression being on NXT compared to Raw or Smackdown.  

THE DISCONNECT

   As we've seen since NXT went from game show to pure developmental territory, when a wrestler makes the transition to Raw or Smackdown, that wrestler isn't always perceived the same by the fans.  More often than not, this occurs.  There are several examples of wrestlers that haven't quite connected the same way.  While I understand that the audience may be different or that some fans may not even watch NXT, I happen to watch both programs and enjoy them for what they are. Though I enjoy NXT immensely, not everything is perfect and I can admit that.  However, since we're on the subject of superstars not reaching the same success on the main roster, I'll stick with that.

The Ascension

   In NXT, the Ascension were the most dominant team during their stay.  They held the Tag Team Championships for quite some time and they seemed unbeatable.  To be fair, there weren't exactly a lot of credible challengers, but that's neither here nor there.  At some point, it came time for Konnor and Viktor to make their way to the main roster.  It looked promising when vignettes started airing about the team.  However, when they showed up on Raw, they were almost immediately shown as a sham.  They came out comparing themselves to legendary tag teams of the past, such as the Road Warriors and Demolition.  The fans saw right through it, and soon enough after squashing a few teams, they were brought back down to reality and lost in the shuffle ever since.  The fact of the matter is, the Ascension were never really that good.  Much like Paul Heyman was able to do for ECW, NXT was able to accentuate the positives and eliminate the negatives.  However, a lot of fans seem to get upset when NXT superstars get called up yet fall flat on Raw and Smackdown.

Adam Rose

   Niche gimmicks are always tough to gauge when it comes to how they will be received. Some over the top gimmicks have worked incredibly, such as Goldust.  However, for every Goldust is a gimmick that didn't quite work out. One such example is Adam Rose.  In NXT, his gimmick was that of a man that loves parties.  It was almost a parody of the kind of characters played by Russel Brand. Adam Rose was quite eccentric and flamboyant, and referred to his entourage as his "Rosebuds," as well as calling people that weren't interested in his parties, lemons.  He danced his way to the ring with many part-goers and he would body surf his way into the ring.  He also had a catchy theme song.  However,  this gimmick was a last ditch effort to keep the man that portrayed him employed.  Though his much more serious previous character Leo Kruger was intriguing, fans didn't quite take to it.  On the first NXT show where Adam Rose debuted his new character, it caught on immediately and the fans were even singing his theme in unison.  Things were looking up but once he got to the main roster, it was all down hill from there.  I was one of the few people that actually liked the gimmick and thought it was entertaining.  However, I had a feeling it wouldn't connect with the audience in the same way on Raw and Smackdown.  Sure enough, I was right!  It can be argued that the so-called "smarter" fans watched NXT and took to gimmicks more so than the casual audience might.  Eventually, even after some tweaks and a heel turn, Rose was released.

Emma

   Just before the crowning of the first NXT Women's Champion, there were a number of women that were both popular with the fans and gifted athletes in the ring.  Two of those women were Paige and Emma.  While still NXT Women's Champion, Paige showed up on Raw to defeat AJ Lee for the WWE Diva's Title.  Ever since, Paige has enjoyed a few reigns and found success, while also having a few setbacks.  On the other hand, Emma's gimmick was quite odd. She had this weird dancing entrance that somehow the NXT audience loved.  I for one, didn't quite get it.  Thankfully, Emma was quite good in the ring.  I knew once she got to the main roster, it wouldn't connect.  My above statement proves that not every NXT fan loves everything about NXT and its superstars.  Emma showed up on Raw as an awkward love interest for Santino Marella.  An injury ended up being a blessing in disguise, though.  She came back to NXT and turned heel, recreating herself.  Her new persona made fans take her more serious but ultimately, when it came to Emma, she just didn't connect the way she did on NXT.

Tyler Breeze

   In NXT, one of the more out there gimmicks was Tyler Breeze.  He portrayed a fashion model that came to the ring with a "Selfie stick."  He was basically a combination of the model characters in the film Zoolander.  While it was unusual, it brought Breeze into the NXT Championship picture.  Though he never won the Title, he was almost always in contention. He became NXT's gatekeeper, being the last guy wrestlers would work with before challenging for the NXT Championship or going to the main roster.  He even had the privilege of working with the legendary Jushin "Thunder" Liger.  However, when he came to Smackdown, the gimmick fell flat.  After a forgettable first feud with Dolph Ziggler, Breeze went back down the card.  Thankfully, his "Fashion Files" segments with teammate Fandango have saved his career.  I could go on with many others but I just wanted to point out a few examples of wrestlers that didn't quite connect in the same way.  

THE JURY'S OUT

   Some wrestlers are in a situation where their gimmick is teetering on either connecting or not connecting with fans.  

Bayley

   Bayley was one of the most popular wrestlers in NXT.  Her playful gimmick made her the ultimate underdog that everybody loved.  I had two extremely different schools of thought when it came to Bayley. Either her gimmick was going to flop right away, or she was going to sell merchandise like a female John Cena.  To my surprise, she's stuck in the middle. While she does sell merchandise and some fans love her, many others can't take her seriously, despite her prowess as an in-ring competitor.  I worry about Bayley's treatment on Raw these days and have since her debut, but I'm afraid the jury's still out.

THINGS TAKE TIME

   There are some fans that get upset when their favorite NXT stars, especially ones that have been in other promotions, don't get pushed right away or in the same way on the main roster.  While I may have had those thoughts at first with some wrestlers, I learned to have patience.  There are some superstars who have made the transition from NXT to Raw or Smackdown that either took a while to gain momentum, or are still trying to find their groove.  There are quite a few in this category!

Bobby Roode

   In TNA, Roode rose to become a main event talent and one of the most sought after wrestlers in the business.  His gimmick altered slightly upon his arrival to NXT and it was simply...glorious!  It wasn't long before Roode became the NXT Champion and he enjoyed a nearly eight month reign with the Title.  Just after SummerSlam last year, Roode debuted on Smackdown as the glorious one.  I feel like some fans need to relax a bit.  Just last month, he won a tournament to become the new United States Champion and I think it's safe to say, he's doing okay for himself.  Just under six months is not enough time to decide whether you think the ball has been dropped on someone or not.

Shinsuke Nakamura

  This is another example of a talent that took a while to find his groove and fans have been pointing it out.  In New Japan, Shinsuke Nakamura is a legendary name and he took his talents to NXT.  In NXT, he flourished, having tremendous matches with his opponents, as well as trading the NXT Champiosnhip with Samoa Joe.  Just two days after WrestleMania last year, Nakamura made his way to the Smackdown brand.  He started off just fine, with wins over Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin alike.  Though I did question him losing clean to WWE Champion Jinder Mahal, you have to remember that he still did get the opportunity, as well as defeating John Cena of all people to do so.  People also made a big deal about him being the first one eliminated at the Survivor Series. Fans didn't like the inconsistencies with Nakamura and felt he was being held down.  Well, he just won the 2018 Royal Rumble and is most likely taking on AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.  Now who's being booked questionably?

INJURIES KILL MOMENTUM

   Sometimes, injuries play an unfortunate part in how a wrestler gets booked and is affected.  This has happened to several wrestlers that have made the transition from NXT to Raw or Smackdown. Finn Balor debuted on Raw in July of 2016.  The next month he won a Fatal Fourway and then defeated Roman Reigns and ultimately Seth Rollins to become the first WWE Universal Champion. However, he got injured the night he won it, was forced to vacate the Championship, and sat out until just after last year's WrestleMania.  When the Revival debuted on Raw, fans wanted them to have the same success they did in NXT as Tag Team Champions.  However, injuries at different times to both Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder messed up their plans. Samoa Joe is currently dealing with an injury that might take him out of WrestleMania.  

THE OPPOSITE EFFECT

   While for the most part, NXT superstars aren't portrayed the same once they land on Raw or Smackdown, once in a blue moon, the exact opposite happens.  The best example of that is the following superstar...

Who Wants To Walk With Elias?

   Who could have predicted that Elias would be one of the best up and coming superstars on Raw?  To me, though he had the same gimmick in NXT, it didn't feel like it was connecting.  I thought it was dumb and would completely flop upon entrance to the main roster!  How wrong I was!  Somehow, Elias is even better on the main roster than he ever was in NXT.  His gimmick has been tweaked somewhat and he's definitely taken a lot more serious than he ever has.  I feel that he will slowly transition out of this current gimmick and into what he's meant to be and evolve.  To answer the question of who wants to walk with Elias, I think many of us do!

    As I've illustrated, there are many differences between NXT and the main roster.  Not everyone is going to be portrayed the same by creative or received the same way by the fans.  Even so, NXT is still a very important tool in the development of WWE superstars.  There is constantly an influx of talent and while not everyone works out, there are a few that have.  Whether you like him or not, Roman Reigns is one of those superstars that came from NXT and has become one of the most polarizing stars in WWE today.  Could the next breakout star be in NXT?  For all we know, the next breakout star might not even by employed by WWE currently.  

If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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