The N(e)XT Generation Of WWE Stars

Like other professional sports, wrestling has a revolving door of stars coming together to form a promotion’s roster. These wrestlers will get their time to shine and if it works, they’ll be around for a good while. Eventually though, due to either their age, health or declining results, someone new will have to take their place. That is what we are seeing in WWE at the moment and it’s time to get to know some of these new faces. Let’s get to it.

In recent weeks, some new names from NXT have either signed with one of the main roster WWE shows or are all but set to do so. While that is quite the blow to NXT, it is also quite the big moment for WWE. These names could very well be the future of the company so we are going to look at the names who have been called up and what they might be doing on the main roster.

In no particular order.

Jordynne Grace

We’ll start with an interesting one here as Grace debuted in NXT last year after having made some appearances as part of the TNA roster. Grace is an absolute powerhouse and one of the strongest women in the entire division, which is exactly what she has built her in-ring style around. She has already signed with SmackDown and set her sights on Women’s Champion Jade Cargill.

On paper, Grace is a layup, but for some reason things haven’t gone the way they seem to have been planned. While she absolutely dominated TNA with multiple lengthy Knockouts Title reigns, she never really accomplished much in NXT. Instead it felt more like she was living off past glory, and while there was plenty to go around, she’ll need to do more to really get to the next level.

Despite all that (and her rather short stature, which shows up a lot worse when she is near people the size of Charlotte and Cargill), Grace still feels like a star prospect. You don’t dominate a big time promotion like she did and instantly be that far over your head in WWE. There is always the possibility that she is just more made for the main roster, which would hardly be a first. She’s doing well so far on Smackdown so it’s hardly like all hope has been lost. Maybe they have a plan for her, and starting with Cargill is a good sign.

Je'Von Evans

Here we have someone else who has already made their debut on the main roster, with Evans having signed with Monday Night Raw. Evans was quite the star on NXT but never actually won any titles. Instead, he got over as one of the most athletic wrestlers on the roster who just happens to stand about 6’5. Throw in a very easy to like personality with a big smile and you can absolutely see the potential.

Now, Evans is an interesting case for me as I absolutely could not stand him to start. There was something about how bubbly he was and how it felt like he didn’t take anything seriously that bugged me. That was just how he started off though as he started to get a bit more of a hard edge, though the happiness continued most of the time. The fans, including me, got even more behind him and it was clear that Evans could more than hold his own in the ring.

Evans is not the kind of star you find every day and WWE seems to know what they have with him. He’s a star who grows on you rather quickly and the athleticism he can show makes for quite the spectacle. It isn’t easy to find this kind of a star and WWE realized that there was little point in wasting him in NXT. I’m curious to see what he can do on the main roster, as fans supporting him so well is a great thing to see.

Lash Legend

Oddly enough, Legend is the most experienced member of the main roster, to the point where it almost feels like cheating to put her on this kind of a list. After making a few appearances without officially being called up, Legend officially joined SmackDown, teaming with Nia Jax as quite the power duo. Legend is kind of a surprising case, as she was only so successful in NXT for a long time before something changed.

In kind of a mixture of Grace and Evans, Legend is an athletic marvel, with an incredible mixture of size, power and athleticism. You do not find many people who can do what she does and it seems to have clicked for her rather well. This is all the more impressive as Legend spent a long time floundering in NXT. At some point though, something clicked and it was a matter of time before she made the more up to the big time.

There are certain people who might not be the best wrestlers, but their athletic background and abilities make them perfect wrestling prospects. That is what WWE has with Legend, who feels like she could dominate any athletic field she attempted. Her time in the ring has gotten that much better and it has been rather nice to see just how far she has come in her time. If that continues on the main roster, the name legend might be rather appropriate.

Trick Williams

Somewhere, Booker T. is smiling. Williams is another case where he only has so much in-ring time but he has so much athletic ability that WWE would have been crazy to not see what they can do with him. That is exactly what they have done and it has been quite the success. Williams has also come up to Smackdown and is already set for a #1 contenders match at this month’s Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Having debuted as Carmelo Hayes’ friend in NXT, Williams went on to become one of the top stars NXT has ever seen. He is a two time NXT Champion as well as a former TNA World Champion, having been a major factor in the battle between the two promotions. It was clear that he was main roster bound sooner than later, and now we are getting to see what he can do on the big stage.

One of the best descriptions you’ll hear about Williams is that he is much more of a fighter than a wrestler. He isn’t likely going to become some top level mat technician, but he does exactly what makes sense for him. Williams can do some very impressive things and he mainly relies on an athletic mixture of strikes, including a running knee with the great name of the “Trick Shot”. He’s hit the ground running in WWE and that shouldn’t be a surprise, as he did the same thing in NXT.

Oba Femi

Ok so I’m cheating a bit here as not only has Femi not signed with the main roster yet (though it has been heavily teased and he has vacated the NXT Title) but I had to put him last because… well dang man. You do not find people like Femi very often, as not only does he have the look of a monster wrestler but he has a certain charisma to him which has made him into that much bigger of a star.

The thing with Femi is that it feels like he just gets it. He is a giant powerhouse who hits you really hard with one power move after another. It isn’t something that is overly complicated and NXT presented him as such. Then things wound up going even better than they could have expected, as Femi went from brand new to being a star in rather short order. You do not find someone with that kind of natural abilities and charisma and he made the combination work so well.

Femi hasn’t been signed to a main roster show just yet, but it is clear that WWE has some special plans for him. He made his main roster debut against WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and the match didn’t even end with a pin or a submission. WWE wants to protect him as they should with a monster, and it is pretty obvious that the company sees the future in him, which is a rather bright thing to have around.

That seems to be most of the next generation of WWE Superstars, though there is always the chance that even more people could be on their way up (and some names have been rumored). What matters is that they have started well and can now bring those talents up to the main roster.  If they wind up being as good as they were in NXT but on an even bigger scale, they’ll all be welcomed home by the roar of the crowd.