The past month just hasn’t been great for Raw. Viewership is starting to decline as we make our way into football season, and we’ve seen some of the worst Raws in months. This past Monday was particularly hard to get through, only highlighted by a Cena/Lesnar confrontation conveniently featured during halftime of Monday Night Football, and a good match between Rollins and Reigns. You know it’s a rough Raw when you see matches branching out from episodes of Total Divas, and Mark Henry “Rallies America” closed out the show. This being a go home show for Night of Champions, there’s just not a lot of excitement for the event. I’ll watch of course, but the only thing keeping me interested is seeing how they plan to work the WWE World Heavyweight Championship rematch.
The real highlight of the past week in WWE was NXT Takeover last Thursday on WWE Network. There were multiple entertaining segments and excellent matches, including a main event that is a contender for match of the year. We have to start questioning if we even want our favorite NXT stars on the main roster. Bo Dallas and Adam Rose were both huge in NXT, but they’ve been unable to connect with Raw fans. After a slow start, Paige has only recently started finding her niche with the main roster. There’s only so many spots on the main roster for talented undersized wrestlers, and for every CM Punk and Daniel Bryan to defy the odds and make it to the top, there are 10 of Justin Gabriel.
There are, however, a few talents from NXT that I think would do well on the main roster and make an immediate impact:
Enzo Amore and Big Cass – These are two guys from New York that exude machismo. Outside of the main event players of NXT, I look forward to seeing this team more than any other on the roster. They match each other perfectly. Enzo is the personality of the group, and controls the arena when he’s on the mic. Big Cass is the tall, athletic one. I see these two as this generation’s New Age Outlaws.
Kalisto – It’s clear there’s a huge void in the roster now that Alberto del Rio is gone, and Rey Mysterio is eyeing retirement. There’s not a prominent Hispanic superstar on the main roster. Unlike the failed Sin Cara experiment, Kalisto can connect with both American and Hispanic fans. He’s also extremely talented in the ring. I would mind if he and Sin Cara came up together as a team.
The Ascension – Mash up the Legion of Doom and the Brood and you have the Ascension. They aren’t particularly great on the mic, and I wouldn’t say that they stand out in the ring. What they have is a great gimmick. Fans will eat it up, as they have in NXT.
I’m not saying that the rest of the roster can’t make it on the main roster, but these are the only wrestlers that seem to have a place on the roster right now. I would be thrilled to all four of the guys from the Fatal Fourway main event make it to the main roster, but only if it’s the right time.
That’s it for this week. Keep checking back for more wrestling goodness!
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