Who Should Be Called Up To The Main Roster From NXT Next?

With “NXT Takeover: Fatal 4 Way” looming, there is a lot of talk revolving around the topic of who should be called up to the main roster from WWE’s developmental system, NXT next.

The guy that has really caught my attention is Sami Zayn. He is an incredible all round, talent who should have been on the main roster a long, long time ago. He is a natural likeable guy who fans can relate to and on top of that can back all the support up with his in-ring abilities. Look at his matches with Cesaro on NXT, specifically the 2/3 Falls Match, or if you want to go further back in his history, then his ladder match with Kevin Steen in ROH will leave your jaw wide open (he was known as El Generico back then, hence all of the “Ole” chants he gets, although I think most people chant it because everyone else is, not necessarily because they are familiar with his past). He should ideally be on the main roster having 5* matches against Cesaro, Seth Rollins alongside many others but is NOW the right time for him to be called up? In all honesty, I do not think so. Does he deserve it? Hell yeah he does, he has travelled the world and has worked incredibly hard, the main roster has his name written all over it. But with the benefit of hindsight and analysing the call ups of previous NXT stars such as Adam Rose and Bo Dallas who arguably have not really made that much of an impact, I would not want the same to happen to him. The Shield/Wyatt Family have proved that the developmental system is indeed very effective but recently, NXT talent haven’t made that big of an impression since they moved up to the main roster, note the names I referenced earlier. Adam Rose is barley on WWE TV now and although Bo Dallas has so much potential in being a massive heel, I am not sure with which direction they are exactly going with him. Also, under what circumstances would Zayn debut? For me personally, being such a big fan of his, I want it to be impactful but I don’t see that happening yet, looking at the way certain guys are treated on the main roster. Yes, he can debut now but I don’t see it going down the route I would like. The right time has to present itself. I would love to see him confront Seth Rollins or something along the lines of that and becoming a major babyface but realistically, will that happen? Adrian Neville is another guy that I would make the same argument for.

Fans have made it clear who they want.

The NXT Women’s Champion, Charlotte has been spoken about a whole lot when it comes to main roster call-ups lately. Being the daughter of Ric Flair, it would give him a permanent role on TV as well (if WWE wanted to go down that route). I would love to see a feud between her and Paige or AJ or even Natalya again. It would add something new to the Divas Division, which is needed right now. She will be going up against Bayley at Takeover but even if she retains, she can still debut soon; Paige was the NXT Women’s Champ whilst she debuted and won the WWE Divas Championship back in April.

For me however, the call-ups that needs to happen, are the NXT Tag Team Champions; The Ascension. The WWE tag-team division is completely stale right now and well, arguably non-existent. The Usos have been the tag champs for a while now and although I believe that Harper/Rowan should have captured the titles, the fact that there is The Ascension down in NXT, that is what is keeping me slightly interested. Who else is there for The Usos to go up against? They have beaten Harper/Rowan way too many times than I would have liked and despite Goldust/Stardust adding more personality and a different dimension to them with the heel turn, I am still bored with the entire tag-team situation as a whole. They NEED The Ascension right now. Having them debut against The Usos and confronting them would be perfect for me; two established teams that people can clearly differentiate between, would finally add some fire and freshness to the division that it so desperately is in need of. They have a distinct dark look and a gimmick that fans can catch onto straight away, they do not seem randomly put together e.g. Rybaxel. Their domination needs to transcend on to WWE TV for them to succeed.

Who do you guys think should be called up next from NXT next? Let me know at @WrestlingMenu on Twitter.

NXT Takeover will be live on the WWE Network on Thursday 11^th September, make sure to tune in, it will be incredible as the past two NXT live specials have proved. I’m glad that WWE have promoted it the right way by having matches with NXT stars on their flagship show, Raw and Main Event to provide us with a glimpse and to show what they are capable of. If you are not an NXT fan or have never seen what happens down there, spend 2 hours of your time watching this special and I guarantee you, you will be converted.

- Zara