5 NXT Superstars who ready for the main roster, and 5 who need to stay where they are
Not all seeds grow in all soils, and NXT may or may not be the best environment for these superstars. For fans who have followed the WWE for a long time, the developmental brands have always had a certain appeal.
It was in the early developmental territory Ohio Valley Wrestling, utilized in the Attitude and Ruthless Aggression eras, that such future stars as Brock Lesnar and John Cena first cut their teeth in sports entertainment.
Over time, the developmental league shifted from Ohio Valley Wrestling to Florida Championship Wrestling. FCW would also produce future world champions, such as the Big Dog himself Roman Reigns.
Then, Florida Championship Wrestling evolved into NXT, ostensibly the 'developmental' brand of WWE but fast becoming the most crowd-pleasing brand that WWE currently offers. NXT's overall presentation is delightfully old school, with a great deal of emphasis on in-ring performance as well as a slower build up to storylines that are seen on the main roster.
This provides a fertile ground for some superstars, such as Bayley who had been the biggest star in NXT until Asuka arrived and began her historic streak. On the other hand, other superstars just seem to do better on the main roster, like Drew McIntyre.
The question always comes up as to which NXT wrestler should make the jump to Raw or Smackdown Live and which ones should stay put. It's become so much of a trope that Velveteen Dream even parodied it on his tights, which had been emblazoned with "Call Me Up, Vince" in the glittered script.
Here are five NXT stars who are definitely ready for the main roster, and five who need to stay on the yellow brand for a while longer.
Ready to move up to main roster #1: Dominik Dijakovic
When you hear the words 'six foot, seven inches tall wrestler' a certain image probably comes to mind. One of a big, slow man who mostly stands around and lets better wrestlers bounce off of himself.
You'd be dead wrong if you thought that applied to Dominik Dijakovic. Not only is the big man quick on his feet, but he can also take to the air and perform insane diving moves as if he were a cruiserweight. The last time pro wrestling has seen a combination of power and agility like this, it was in the late, great Mike Awesome.
Why he's ready for the main roster: Dijakovic has been wrestling for several years and has completed his journeyman phase. He has the looks and talent to go far in the WWE.