WWE Draft: Grading All NXT Call Ups

The WWE Draft has come and gone, delivering two separate rosters in the usual WWE way. While there were a few head scratchers (Big show/ Kevin Owens) there were also more names than expected from WWE’s developmental brand – NXT.

Aside from Cultured Vultures favourite Bayley not getting picked at all, a total of seven individuals (including one tag team) were promoted to the big leagues. Did they end up where they can make the biggest impact though? Will WWE come to regret any NXT picks? And who has the most long term potential? Let’s break down who went where.

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Finn Balor – 5th Pick (Raw)

Six months ago, I would still have had questions about this pick. Balor has nothing to prove as an in-ring worker, but for a while his wrestling character remained a little undefined. Over the last few months though, these reservations have been assuaged. It now seems inevitable that Balor will land inside a ring with The Club sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, the deeper into 2016 we go, the more willing WWE seem to be to allude to Balor’s old hunting ground, New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Being picked so high is a statement of intent from WWE management. They have big things in mind for Finn Balor. For his own part the NXT Icon has more than enough to make it in his newly elevated position, thanks in no small part to the mystique which has built up around him. Unless WWE screw this up big time (it’s happened too many times before) this is a smart pick looking towards the future of the company.

Draft Grade: A+

Long Term Potential: The Sky’s the limit.

 

American Alpha – 22nd Pick (Smackdown!)

Are they ready? Are they not? Since forming back in 2015 American Alpha have stepped up beyond most people’s expectations. Chad Gable and Jason Jordan have put on great tag matches in NXT – their recent feud with The Revival demonstrating their versatility. The pair are getting better on the microphone, and while they might never be as good at ad libbing as Kevin Owens or Dean Ambrose, they don’t really need to be.

The pair are still somewhat green, however. Dropping them onto Raw to compete for prime time space against the New Day, Enzo and Cas and Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson would likely have ended in disaster. Putting them on Smackdown!, with the Usos and the Vaudevillians, was probably the better move.

Draft Grade: A

Long Term Potential: Did someone just say Angle?

 

Nia Jax – 25th Pick (Raw)

Hmm. This feels a lot like a Vince pick right here. Nia Jax feels much more like a legit contender than when she debuted on NXT last fall. Her look and size is going to get her over immediately, and she’s proved against Bayley and Asuka that she can have more than just squash matches. Here’s my question though: Shouldn’t this pick have been Bayley?

All the women drafted from NXT are in many ways still learning the ropes. Like Carmella and Alexa Bliss, it would have made much more sense to give Jax a run on Smackdown! to learn before stepping up to the flagship show. Both Becky Lynch and Natalya are more than capable teachers. Bayley, on the other hand, is ready for the spotlight of Monday Night Raw. Why she went undrafted is a puzzle, and one that will hopefully be answered at Battleground.

Draft Grade: B

Long Term Potential: Monster Heel

 

Alexa Bliss – 47th Pick (Smackdown!)

Alexa Bliss is owning it as a heel. Her recent performances on NXT show an attention to detail that a lot of main roster talent lack. She sneers at the crowd as she walks to the ring, rubbing fake tears from her eyes with obvious mocking scorn. Her in ring arsenal is full of brutal impacts and heelish trash talk. Getting picked so late, and for Smackdown!, could mean one of two things: either she’s an afterthought, or she’s being dropped in a position where she can continue to learn. I sincerely hope for the latter. Bliss has huge potential as the irredeemable mean girl, and could have easily headlined NXT‘s women’s division as a heel champion for an extended run.

Draft Grade: A

Long Term Potential: The reincarnation of Heel Trish Stratus?

 

Mojo Rawley – 57th Pick (Smackdown!)

Who is Mojo Rawley?

That’s not a trick question. I’ve been an avid watcher of NXT for almost a year now, and I’m still not sure who Mojo Rawley is supposed to be. One half of the Hype Bros alongside Zack Ryder, Rawley’s gimmick is that he’s hyped. Am I close? Is that his shtick?

WWE are wise to put Rawley with Ryder on Smackdown!, where he does not have to stand or fall as a singles competitor. Certainly Rawley is a big guy, and Heidenreich knows Vince likes big guys, but I’ve not seen anything from the guy that makes me want to tune in to see his segments. He needs time to develop, and he needs to learn from Ryder.

Draft Grade: B

Long Term Potential: The same ceiling as Zack Ryder.

 

Carmella – 59th Pick (Smackdown!)

‘Oh god! They’ve bought up Carmella but separated her forever from her buddies Enzo and Cas. What will become of her?’

Putting Carmella out on her own is a major signal. It can mean only one thing: going forward, she’s going to be an in ring worker, not just a valet. Rumours have been circulating for a while that Carmella has become something of a pupil of Bayley, being an incredibly keen learner. It would not surprise me if Carmella did not herself play a part in which brand she was ultimately drafted to.

While she’s still somewhat green, Carmella is a willing learner. Now that she’s been put in a position to learn from the best, she can only go up.

Draft Grade: B+

Long Term Potential: Becky Lynch level workhorse for Women’s Division.