5 NXT Superstars who can help WWE succeed on Wednesday nights
WWE NXT will be moving to Wednesday nights in just a few short weeks, thereby laying the groundwork for a more competitive wrestling landscape as all the talk centers around WWE's budding rivalry with AEW.
And while WWE is not without its share of ups and downs, NXT has been a consistent source of quality pro wrestling programming since its relaunch under Triple H in 2014. With the benefit of pre-taped television, NXT has quickly developed a reputation for easy-to-digest storylines that lead to unforgettable in-ring showdowns.
The less-is-more format will undoubtedly be challenged with an additional hour of television in a live format—not to mention the competition on another network—but certain talents should be able to instantly assert themselves to a larger potential audience. .
NXT is known for developing cult favorites that shine before an intimate crowd with specific tastes at Full Sail University.
And as the Yellow and Black brand prepares for an even bigger spotlight, a combination of established acts and stars on the rise could quiet whispers of the Wednesday night showcase jumping the shark end. Instead, NXT could embark on yet another positive evolution.
Whether it's entertainment value, promo ability, in-ring bonafides or a combination of all three, NXT will need to find the happy medium between what made it great while on the WWE Network, and just what could make a brand filled with unknown stars connect with a more mainstream viewing public.
WWE featuring main roster stars on NXT is all but a formality, but if stars established on other brands become the bread and butter of NXT, it will be no better than Raw or SmackDown Live, which could doom the tertiary flagship to the same fate as the ill-advised WWE ECW program that it originally replaced.
To succeed on its own merits over the long haul, Paul Levesque and Co. will need to look to certain talents who have already proven to be assets under the NXT umbrella.
#5 Velveteen Dream
Between all the copy-and-paste prototypes of highly athletic pseudo-acrobats with varying degrees of storytelling ability, very few individuals within the entire wrestling industry possess the amount of star power necessary to potentially transcend the genre to a mainstream audience.
Velveteen Dream is one of the exceptions.
As an androgynous tough guy with wildly entertaining mind games that make for re-watchable segments each week on NXT, Velveteen Dream oozes the very charisma and intangibles that separate perennial main eventers from good hands.
The fact that Velveteen Dream, arguably the promotion's most popular Superstar, is yet to capture the NXT Championship makes a potential chase a must to play out on NXT TV when it moves to USA.
Velveteen Dream is not a finished product in the ring, but at just 24 years old, he has all the time in the world to fulfill his promising potential as a wrestler.
Even when he does, wrestling will be just one of the many aspects of Velveteen Dream's persona that will make him a must-watch performer on Wednesday nights.