5 Superstars who struggled in NXT but have succeeded on the main roster
With Tyler Breeze and Fandango re-debuting in NXT over the past few weeks, and several calls for some other 'misused' WWE Superstars to follow suit and go back to the yellow brand, it begs the question - is the grass greener on Wednesday nights?
Well, there's no doubt some Superstars have done it all, immense success in NXT translated perfectly to the main roster, even using the yellow brand to hone their craft and polish themselves before jumping up - Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Asuka all spring to mind.
But do you have to be successful in NXT to stand a chance on the main roster? Sure, it usually helps, sometimes it doesn't - and sometimes it isn't necessary at all.
I'm going to give a rundown of five Superstars who shocked the world with their NXT call-ups, and have taken the ball and ran with it on the main roster - or quite simply five Superstars who didn't look incredibly promising in NXT, but have made the WWE ring their own!
#5 Elias
I understand this choice may very well be a decisive one. Many members of the WWE Universe don't just walk with Elias, they stomp to his every beat and would proclaim it a travesty that the man who was merely drifting in NXT has not yet held championship gold.
However, when you think back to his time in NXT, the character just didn't connect. The Drifter did just that, and never earned any serious momentum - despite his best efforts.
Elias Samson, in fact, had a pretty monumental losing streak which saw him leave NXT after losing a Loser Leaves NXT Match to Kassius Ohno, before losing to Oney Lorcan when he tried to return as El Vagabundo.
Then voila, move him to RAW, drop the surname and give The Drifter the spotlight, quite literally, every week in the middle of the ring with his guitar - and you have a star!
Elias caught the eye in the ring during a match way back early last year with Roman Reigns where he'd go on to lose, but undoubtedly proved his ability. He now has scored pinfall victories over John Cena and Seth Rollins - while also featuring in segments with Cena and The Undertaker.
While championship gold may have escaped the clutches of Elias, no-one could have imagined that the Drifter would drift right into the spotlight on RAW!