We tend to dwell on the cases where certain WWE superstars are/were better suited to the more mature environment of NXT than the bright lights and grand stage of the main roster. But on the rare occasion, there have been certain superstars that have achieved more in front of the mainstream crowd than they did at Full Sail. Triple H himself has stated in the past that not all gimmicks are tailor-made for the more hardcore wrestling fanbase, instead for the more family-orientated world of RAW and SmackDown Live.
Even though some of these superstars may have even been considered failures in NXT if it weren’t for their timely transition to either the Red or Blue brand, it’s great to see that WWE made the most of their abilities in the long run. In this list, we run down 5 NXT stars that achieved more on the main roster than they did during their initial run in NXT.
1. Otis
Heavy Machinery’s Otis has really come into his own as part of the main roster. Tucker and Otis might not have been the hottest tag team in the ranks of NXT, but they did occasionally scrape by into the Tag title fray to be met with a crushing defeat. Despite this, they managed to maintain their popularity on house shows and their odd appearance on NXT TV. Otis in particular was the shining star of the duo, but Tucker could easily hold his own in the ring and be just as over.
With Tucker now on the sidelines for a minute, Otis has really grabbed the ball of his singles run and sprinted with it. After picking up his first singles win at WrestleMania against Dolph Ziggler and walking away a Lothario, Otis steamrolled his way into the Money in the Bank ladder match, which he would shockingly win after a fumble from AJ Styles.
It was quite possibly the most heart-warming ending to a Money in the Bank match, the fans are truly behind Otis making a rare case of a feel good story on WWE’s main roster. Whether a World Championship run is on the cards for Otis’ future or not is currently down to debate, but nobody will ever take this huge win away from the big man, and by default, the team of Heavy Machinery.
2. Baron Corbin
Then under the moniker of ‘The Lone Wolf’, Baron Corbin was one of the biggest home-grown talents to ever come out of NXT. Corbin had an impressive run in his developmental run, forging an undefeated streak and butting heads with some of the biggest stars on the roster. Although before Corbin had the chance to secure the NXT Championship, he was snapped up by Vince for his main roster debut.
On his first night, Corbin instantly made a name for himself by winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. Suddenly, the wrestling world was buzzing over Corbin, a man that quite frankly wasn’t the most respected even after clashing with the likes of Finn Balor, Austin Aries and Samoa Joe. Corbin began imposing himself on Monday Night RAW and quickly found himself at the top of the mid-card.
Within a year, Corbin was feuding with veterans and modern-day legends like John Cena, winning the Money in the Bank briefcase and even the United States Championship after being drafted to SmackDown Live during the brand extension. Baron Corbin eventually came into power as the constable of Monday Night RAW, which began his most prominent run in the main event and bringing him to where he is now, ‘The King’ of WWE.
Corbin has yet to win his first major World Championship on the main roster, but I personally believe it won’t be long before King Corbin is in the history books as a Universal or WWE Champion.
3. Alexa Bliss
Before she was a Goddess, Alexa Bliss was desperately trying to find herself in NXT. At first, she was pitched as a cheerleader and later the valet for budding tag team Blake & Murphy, the one constant was that she failed to find herself taken seriously enough to be inserted into the NXT Women’s Championship picture. Although all was set to change when Alexa Bliss was drafted onto the main roster in 2016.
Bliss totally 180’d when she hit the scene, instantly in contention for the SmackDown Live Women’s Championship and on her road to being one of the biggest merch-sellers on the blue brand. Bliss defeated Becky Lynch only a few months after a debut and has since captured several more title reigns on both RAW and SmackDown, which included a Money in the Bank win and some big-time title matches against Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax at WrestleMania.
Bliss is now teaming alongside Nikki Cross as the Women’s Tag Champs, hosting her own talk show and considered one of the greatest female competitors of this era. A huge step up from where she was in NXT.
4. Elias
‘The Drifter’ of NXT was one of those gimmicks that just didn’t go down that well in its original home. Instead, it was best placed in front of the main roster crowd, fans that are a little more willing to accept something that’s a little more comical and cheesy. Elias was perfectly able to put together a pretty great match but was rarely given the opportunity but quickly found those chances on Monday Night RAW, after wandering into arenas and playing a few tunes to announce his presence.
Elias might not have many championships to his name on the main roster as of writing, but he’s certainly become one of their top superstars over the past few years. I personally remember just how incredibly over he was at the 2018 RAW/SmackDown TV tapings in London, where he was even given the honour of sending the fans home happy with the go-home promo over the likes of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. It was pretty crazy to see how much he’d developed in such a short amount of time.
Elias has since produced several WrestleMania moments with John Cena and recently picked up his first ‘Mania victory over King Corbin, something that’s hopefully going to lead to a mid-card title feud later down the line. Either way, Elias will forever be known as a success story on the main roster as opposed to his meagre run in NXT.
5. Becky Lynch
‘The Man’ has recently broken headlines with her pregnancy announcement, something which is only the feather in the cap of her legacy. Becky Lynch has truly changed the game on the main roster, culminating the Women’s Evolution with a massive overhaul of the main event scene, becoming one of WWE’s top merch sellers and the most talked about female star across the entire industry. Becky Lynch has main-evented WrestleMania and been the shining star of a generatio — how else can we hype up her legend? It’s a far-cry from her minor status in NXT.
Even though Becky was considered one of the founding members of the movement and a quarter of the Four Horsewomen, Lynch wasn’t really capitalised on as the star she would eventually become. Becky was rarely featured on TakeOver cards, and when she was, she wasn’t really considered the highlight. She never won the NXT Women’s title and was a bit of an afterthought amongst fellow call-ups Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks. Yet she would eventually go on to become ‘The Man’ in WWE. What a turn of events.
Becky is on top of her game on the main roster, even if she’ll now be taking significant time off to start a family with Seth Rollins. With that being said, we wish a belated congratulations to Becky from all of us at Cultured Vultures.
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