Midnight Thoughts #11 NXT Call-ups: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Ever since NXT scrapped off it's game show format and evolved into a more serious wrestling entertainment programme, the call-ups to the main roster are always something to look out for. However, success in NXT by no means will success in the main roaster. Some superstars succeed, but many failed to continue or gain the momentum they had back in NXT. It is not the superstars fault entirely, sometimes it was due to bad writing and the difference between the NXT and the Raw/ SmackDown crowd.

After stumbled a post on reddit, r/SquaredCircle which feature all NXT call-ups from 2012 (new format) till 2017, I decided to make a post from it and update all the call-ups till 2018. I will list their main roster championship if they have one (or more), and their current status in the WWE. SO, let's go. 

2012   

1. Dean Ambrose 

Main Roster Championship 
x1 WWE Championship
x1 United States Championship
x2 Intercontinental Championship
x1 Raw Tag Team Championship

Current Status 
A Grand Slam Champion who belongs in the stable, The Shield. Still recover from injury. Given his immense popularity, he will fit into the main event or upper-mid card once he's recovered.


2. Seth Rollins 

Main Roster Championship 
x2 WWE Championship
x1 United States Championship
x1 Intercontinental Championship 
x3 Tag Team Championship

Current Status 
Another Grand Slam Champion. Though Mr. Monday Night Raw lost his Intercontinental title to Dolph Ziggler and a chance to face Brock Lesnar in Summerslam, he's still one of the best. 

 
3. Roman Reigns

Main Roster Championship
x3 WWE Championship
x1 Tag Team Championship
x1 United States Championship
x1 Intercontinental Championship 

Current Status 
Grand Slam Champion alongside Shield's member Dean and Seth. The Big Dog will face Bobby Lashley in the no.1 contender match to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. 


4. Big E 

Main Roster Championship 
x1  Intercontinental Championship
x4 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status 
As a member in one of the hottest tag team in WWE, New Day. Currently, they had a feud with SAnitY.

2013

5. Fandango 

Main Roster Championship 
- 

Current Status 
Got so over with the crowd with his entrance music and years later his Fashion Police skits. However, WWE failed to capitalize his popularity and therefore Breezango will probably stuck in the lower-mid card. 


6. Summer Rae

Main Roster Championship 
- 

Current Status 
Released from her WWE contract in 2017. 

 


7. Curtis Axel

Main Roster Championship
x1 Intercontinental Championship 
x2 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status
Son of Mr Perfect, Curits gained back his much needed momentum after partnering up with The Miz and Bo Dallas to form The Miztourage. The breakaway tag team, The B-Team recently won the Raw's Tag Team Belt on Extream Rules. 



8. Bray Wyatt

Main Roster Championship 
x1 WWE Championship 
x2 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status 
After losing out his tag team belt to The B-Team, it remains to be seen where he and his tag team partner 'Woken' Matt Hardy will go. Creative writing didn't do any justice to his colorful gimmick, ever since his Wyatt Family days.  

 
9. Luke Harper 

Main Roster Championship 
x1 Intercontinental Championship
x2 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status 
Still holds the SmackDown Tag Team Title with fellow Wyatt Family member and Bludgeon Brothers, Erik Rowan. 

 
10. Erick Rowan

Main Roster Championship 
x1 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status
Still holds the SmackDown Tag Team Title with fellow Wyatt Family member and Bludgeon Brothers, Luke Harper. 

 
11. Xavier Woods 

Main Roster Championship 
x4 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status
Host of his YouTube channel, UpUpDownDown, Woods is a member of New Day with Big E and Kofi Kingston. New Day also holds the longest tag team title reign, a whooping 483 days.


2014

12. Emma 

Main Roster Championship 
-

Current Status
One of the worst gimmick in WWE, Emmalina, released from her WWE contract in 2017. Currently wrestling in the independent circuit.  

 


13. Paige

Main Roster Championship 
x2 Divas Championship 

Current Status
Career threatening injury forced her to retire from the ring. She however, became the General Manager of SmackDown.  



14. Rusev

Main Roster Championship 
x2 United States Championship 

Current Status
It's puzzling how a superstar like Rusev, the big body type Vince would like and so over with the crowd still have not won the Universal or Heavyweight title. Lost his championship opportunity to AJ Styles at Extream Rules.

 

15. Lana 

Main Roster Championship 
-

Current Status 
No feud with anyone but a plot putting her back as Rusev's manager is underway.

 


16. Adam Rose 

Main Roster Championship 
- 

Current Status
Named as 2014's Worst Gimmick from Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Adam Rose released from his WWE contract in 2016. Wrestles in the independent circuit now.  

 

17. Bo Dallas 

Main Roster Championship 
x1 Tag Team Championship 

Current Status 
Similar to Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas got over with his Miztourage and especially The B-Team gimmick which earn his first main roster title. 

 

18. The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor)

Main Roster Championship 
- 

Current Status
An example of an over gimmick in NXT fails to translate into the main roster crowd. No feud or story-line dedicated to them and just defeated by The B-Team.  

 

2015

19. Kalisto

Main Roster Championship
x2 United States Championship
x1 Cruiserweight Championship

Current Status
Active member of the 205 Live and part of the Lucha House Party stable with Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado.



20. Neville

Main Roster Championship
x2 Cruiserweight Championship

Current status
His contract apparently still freeze by WWE. No clue when he is going to return into the ring.      






21. Kevin Owens

Main Roster Championship
x1 WWE Championship
x2 Intercontinental Championship
x3 United States Championship

Current Status
One of the best heel in the roster now but sadly being bullied by Braun Strowman week after week. Needs a better story-line for him as soon as possible.  




22. Sasha Banks

Main Roster Championship
x4 Women's Championship

Current Status
In an endless and rather confusing feud with Bayley. 2018 so far is not a good year for Sasha Banks. 




23. Charlotte

Main Roster Championship
x1 Divas Championship
x5 Women's Championship

Current Status
Just undergone a cosmetic surgery. Will be in the main event once return. 




24. Becky Lynch


Main Roster Championship
x1 Women's Championship

Current Status
The first inaugural SmackDown women's champion finally get the push she deserved. Hope WWE will able to push her to win the SmackDown title again.  




25. Braun Strowman

Main Roster Championship
x1 Tag Team Championship

Current Status
Won the 2018's Money in the Bank briefcase which fans all hope he can finally win the Universal Championship.   




26. Tyler Breeze 

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Belongs in the tag team Breezango which did not have a feud or story-line install for them. WWE failed to push them while they got over with their fashion police skits. 

 
2016  


27. Sami Zayn

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
No feud or story-line for Sami Zayn after the tasteless feud with Bobby Lashley. Surprised to see one of the biggest babyface in the company didn't not win a single title in the main roster. Still not winning a belt since turning him heel.   


28. Eva Marie

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Demoted to NXT in the hopes to be a better wrestler. It failed and released from her WWE contract in 2017.




29. Baron Corbin

Main Roster Championship
x1 United States Championship

Current Status
The Constable of Monday Night Raw lost to Finn Balor in Extreme Rules. With the ongoing spat with Kurt Angle, maybe a feud between the two will happen down the road.



30. Enzo Amore

Main Roster Championship
x2 Cruiserweight Championship

Current Status
Released from his WWE contract in 2018 after an alleged sexual assault case.    





31. Big Cass

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Though some might thought Vince had big plans for Big Cass, he then received massive heat at backstage before eventually released from his WWE contract in 2018.




32. Apollo Crews

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
The other half of Titus Worldwide, just got disseminated by The Authors of Pain.





33. Aiden English

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
After causing Rusev his championship opportunity, there might be a feud between the two superstars.




34. Simon Gotch

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Former tag team partner with Aiden English in The Vaudevillain,  Gotch released from his WWE contract in 2017. He currently wrestles in the independent circuit.



35. Dana Brooke

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
No story-line or feud given.






36. Mojo Rawley

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Could see WWE tries to rebuild Mojo momentum. Defeated No Way Jose and Tyler Breeze in recent weeks.



37. Nia Jax

Main Roster Championship
x1 Women's Championship

Current Status
Bad writing hurt her momentum a lot.  She failed to regain the title in an extreme rules match after Jax invoked her rematch clause at Extreme Rules.



38. Finn Balor

Main Roster Championship
x1 WWE Championship

Current Status
Given his talent and good in-ring work, he should have more opportunities for the title. Unfortunately, it did not happen for him and he lost yet again in a triple treat match for the no.1 contender match for the Universal Title.

39. Alexa Bliss

Main Roster Championship
x5 Women's Championship

Current Status
Probably the best heel in women's wrestling right now. With great build-up and good writing, her feud with Ronda Rousey would be awesome.




40. Carmella

Main Roster Championship
x1 Women's Championship

Current Status
With the help of James Ellsworth, Carmella able to retain her belt at Extreme Rules.





41. Jason Jordan

Main Roster Championship
x2 Tag Team Championship

Current Status
Kurt Angle's illegitimate son is still recovering from his injury. Report shows he will return to the ring soon.




42. Chad Gable

Main Roster Championship
x1 Tag Team Championship

Current Status
Probably the most underutilized and underrated superstar in the main roster. Chad last match was a month ago and he was defeated by Jinder Mahal, JINDER MAHAL.



43. Bayley

Main Roster Championship
x1 Women's Championship

Current Status
Second half of 2017 did no good to Bayley while she was one of the most over female superstars. 2018 did no good to her either. She's now in a confusing feud with Sasha Banks. 



44. Rich Swann

Main Roster Championship
x1 Cruiserweight Championship

Current Status
Released from his WWE contract in 2018. He now wrestles at Impact Wrestling.




45. Austin Aries

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Released from his WWE contract in 2017. He now wrestles at multiple wrestling promotions.





2017

46. Samoa Joe

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Would like to see another Joe vs Lesnar match but it is very unlikely as Lesnar will walk out the WWE ring soon. A feud with AJ Styles with the title on line would be fun to watch.  



47. The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson)

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Remember the once hottest tag team in WWE? Well, let's hope they will be the no.1 contender for the tag belts soon.




48. Tye Dillinger

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Remember the hottest gimmick in WWE? Me neither. It is so easy to make the Perfect 10 a great babyface in the mid card, but bad writing and planning made Tye stuck and sucked in the main roster.



49. Shinsuke Nakamura

Main Roster Championship
x1 United States Championship

Current Status
Nakamura finally got his first win in a WWE pay-per-view match in Extreme Rules. He also won the title in the process. Can bad booking and story-telling be a thing in the past for Nakamura? We shall see.



50. Elias

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Another superstar with an over gimmick with the crowd. Here's hoping he could grab a title belt this year. The Intercontinental Title would be a good start. Remember, WWE stands for Walk With Elias. 



51. Bobby Roode

Main Roster Championship
x1 United States Championship

Current Status
Roode clearly is a good heel. His title reign and mic work in NXT proofs it. However, creative writing in the WWE decided to turn him face while he debuted in the main roster. Another lost won't do him good as he needs momentum if he wants to have a shot for the title.



52. Asuka

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
"Nobody is ready ready for Asuka". "Undefeated Streak". Congratulations WWE, you fucked it all up. Asuka suffered yet another lost to Carmella in Extreme Rules.  




53. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
Not really in a feud with anybody. Currently working with Becky Lynch and Mandy Rose got beaten by Becky on SmackDown last week. 



54. The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan)

Main Roster Championship
-

Current Status
The copycat of the Absolution, the Riott Squad remains but there's no feud or story-line installed for them.  



2018

55. Drew McIntyre

Main Roster Championshipx1 Intercontinental Championship
x1 Tag Team Championship

Current Status
So far so good for Drew's second run in the WWE. He could be a brilliant face/heel if WWE know how to utilize him. He helped Dolph to retain his Intercontinental Title at Extreme Rules.


56. SAnitY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain)

Main Roster Championship -

Current Status
One of the most over stable in NXT. Question is, can they continue that momentum? SAnitY did win during the pre show of Extreme Rules against the New Day. Let's hope for a better booking for SAnitY and challenge the tag team belt from the Bludgeon Brothers. Interestingly, Nikki Cross, also a member of SAnitY, still haven't get the call-up.



57. Andrade "Cien" Almas and Zelina Vega
 
Main Roster Championship-

Current StatusAfter a meaningless feud with Sincara, Andrade finally got the match he deserved with AJ Styles. Someone like Andrade should be the main event or upper-mid card, not feuding with low-mid card superstars. No offense Sincara. Also, Zelina Vega is the perfect fit for Andrade which I hope WWE can keep it that way.



58. The IIconics (Peyton Royce and Billie Kay)

Main Roster Championship
-


Current Status
The IIconics is always fun to watch. Their heel work is working in the SmackDown crowd as well. So it all depends om (AGAIN) with WWE whether they want to make it work or not.







59. The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
 

Main Roster Championship 
-

Current Status
What is WWE doing with AOP? It's time to put them in a hot feud and put them in the title scene.




60. Ember Moon

Main Roster Championship 
-

Current Status
Ember Moon should be chasing the title by now. However, it seems creative writing not sure who should she be feuding with. It's odd.





There are indeed lots of call-ups in the past 6 years, 70 superstars to be exact. Some made it big while others stuck in the mid-cards and a few even got released by the company.
 
Many superstars that got over in NXT failed to recapture that moment in the main roster. The most recent example would be Asuka. Back-to-back losing to Carmella lost all her momentum Triple H built in her NXT days. She could be the female version of Brock Lesnar but Vince decided to kill all of that.
 
It is not all bad though, out of the 7 belts in the WWE (cruiserweight champion included), 4 belts are hold by NXT call-ups. Besides, out of all the call-ups, The Shield would be the most successful. All members, Dean, Seth and Roman all became Grand Slam Champions. Fellow superstars such as Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Xavier Woods and Big E (New Day), also gained more popularity once they got into the main roster.
 
Time and time again, WWE proofs they can built up a superstar. I strongly believe with a better story-line and Vince actually believe in these NXT superstars, there will be a second Seth Rollins and a second Alexa Bliss in no time.
 
*All photos are from WWE.com