5 Best & 5 Worst NXT Call Ups In WWE History | PartsFUNknown

[@aaronhurst4379]

Oh man, to me Finn Balor's arrival to the main roster and him winning the Universal Title felt like the closest WWE ever got to a true 'new era' since the Ruthless Aggression period began. Such a shame he had to drop the belt through injury

[@Izzy_Barnett]

Then they put it on KO which was a great run till they made him lose it to Goldberg

[@officialcoleslaw6433]

The new ear was supposed to be so great, one of 2016s highlights for me but they ruined it ofc

[@jongee7034]

He didn’t have too. They just made him. He could’ve just been the injured champion. And they could’ve pushed a lower belt

[@DarthLolly]

@@jongee7034 He was out for 7-8 months. Holding a brand's main title, especially one which was just introduced, for that long without showing up to defend it is an idea that should never see the light of day.

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

The Shield came from NXT and were made to look like a threat from day one. Kevin Owens beat PPV Cena (!) in his first main roster match. Sami Zayn was immediately treated as legit once he left Full Sail. Paige, Charlotte, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were responsible for turning women on the main shows from "divas" to "wrestlers". Baron Corbin (whether you like him or not) was treated as if he was important. And finally Balor won the freaking Universal Championship right out of the blocks. Vince was treating people coming up from NXT as a big deal. Then Balor got hurt while defeating Rollins for the title and Vince's incredibly strange mind seemed to decide that Balor's injury meant all NXT call-ups were injury prone or would otherwise fail to live up to hype somehow. Not to sound like Adam, but Vince fucked up Keith Lee! I didn't think that was possible because of how talented Lee was.

[@adershvarshnei5198]

I wonder where Balor would rank if he hadn't been injured at summerslam.

[@davidc.lalnelawma4776]

He might be Best #1 as he almost immediately won a world title and I think he would have had a good reign.

[@JungleBunkRootsMusic2022]

He was supposed to be one of the leaders of "the new era" and was pushed to the moon. Beat roman clean and then beat rollins. If it wasnt for injury finn would be the best call up by far. Him getting hurt convinced vince that he wasn't reliable and unfortunately he hasn't let that go.

[@part-timebrock1126]

I'm quite sure he would've stayed as Universal Champ for more than 150 days...

[@blueweegie6541]

It's only about the debut though so it shouldnt matter he got injured there

[@adershvarshnei5198]

@@blueweegie6541 yeah true, but we might look back at the debut as one of the best debut years in wwe history if he had a good run on top, maybe even better than Angle's first year.

[@jessedellross3245]

Worst call ups: the Lucha dragons, vanvillans, sanity, EC3, and…..oh god there are too many!!!!!!!

[@TheNightTyrant]

This makes me sad, imagine watching a group like Sanity for a year getting excited to see them debut only for Commentary to not even mention they are from NXT and be buried !

[@Trizvdl]

*Vaudvillains

[@davidandrobbyswatchparty7192]

@@Trizvdl Vaudevillans*

[@LuckyLog97]

Kalisto actually had a decent run for a while there. Some big moments & 2 US Title runs & being treated like a big deal on 205 Live.

[@aidenhorton18]

Breezango

[@CulturedVultures]

Sami Zayn is one of the biggest wastes for me, maybe even the worst call-up could have been their next Daniel Bryan but then he just lost and lost and lost and...yeah heel Sami is great, but a truly pushed face Sami as the perennial underdog could have been right up there among the very best.

[@simbarocksone]

STRONGLY agree with this!

[@bionicredneck8805]

It broke my heart when I watched his match vs. Neville (now the bastard) @ TakeOver ReVolution for the first time back in June 2020 after years of seeing him being misused by Vin-O-Mac. Then I watched his match with Nakamura @ TakeOver Dallas and the wrestling fan in me died for a couple of months. P.S.: Then a never saw it coming return hooked me back in.

[@djgulston]

Totally agreed! But he's not a lost cause. If they were to suddenly initiate a face turn and double down on him, I guarantee you that he will be a mega babyface. The crowd will definitely be behind him. Remember when he won his first title (the IC title). The crowd popped big time! Everyone was singing and cheering for him.

[@TravisBroski]

I mean, his was just unfortunate. His real debut was against Cena for the US title, brought up by Bret Hart, to an ENORMOUS applause by the Canadian crowd. They really tried to give Zayn a head start, but unfortunately he got injured, and like Revival, he returned and just sort of… sat there with no real push.

[@sharjeelahmed7913]

His main roster debut match with Cena was great. Sure he lost but the match was solid and made Zayn looked like a star. I do hate how he's been continuously treated though

[@SuperAgent015]

Technically, the first NXT Call-ups were the Nexus and that was a hell of a debut. But then, their first PPV was a disaster. Basically, Nexus can be put in both the Best and Worst call-ups, and was the prototype of bad/good booking of NXT talents.

[@blueweegie6541]

I didnt watch then but was it the first ppv they lost? I thought 2nd or 3rd maybe jesus so like what a 4 week push to lose wtf. No wonder everyone bitches about that angle

[@jimllc]

@@blueweegie6541 They were at Fatal 4 Way and Money in the Bank didn't have a match until SummerSlam.

[@busted361]

@@blueweegie6541 the push lasted about 2 months and then John Cena pulled his Uno reverse card and won at summerslam for literally no reason. They dragged the feud to the end of the year but it never got any fire again. Then they tried to restart the nexus with cm punk as leader which did something.... I guess

[@tankkilla7488]

Nexus doesn’t count as a call up because nxt wasn’t a developmental territory yet. Fcw was.

[@blueweegie6541]

@@tankkilla7488 that's why he said technically

[@omnic989]

I felt like retribution was made just to be a bad parody of the dark order. Like Vince thought, “if I show ppl how bad they could be, maybe ppl will think they actually are.”

[@babystephena3773]

Retribution was created during the height of all the riot and looting caused by the BLM movement in the US. Unfortunately, wwe creatives didn't really have a plan for them long term.

[@luislima3476]

It’s more plausible Vince wanted to do a better version but failed tremendously

[@luisvaldes5206]

@@babystephena3773 Wwe never does long term plans for anyone unless your name is roman reigns

[@demoncyborg98]

Even the anonymous leader thing looks like a copy of "the exalted one".

[@thejizzler8578]

To me, #1 worst call up is Alistair Black. The dude got introduced on raw via Triple H's PowerPoint presentation, was thrown into a tag team with ricochet for no reason, he sat in a room for months, couldn't fit in the Rollins Mysterio feud so wwe decided to "tweak" his character a bit, and finally was released by wwe. Wasted potential from A to B.

[@drstclair]

"Maybe Kross will recover and become better than Retribution. Hell, he almost most definitely will." Oh man. I've commented about comments aging badly, but 3 months? For a 2021 NXT Champion. Wow, it's almost a curse.

[@DrKartoffelsalat]

To this day i'm both baffled and happily surprised that KO got to pin Cena - and clean. He is the complete opposite of what WWE is looking for. Barely over 6ft, not the superstar figure - absolute Indy darling - and i truly hoped WWE is over their stereotypes and are actually giving respect to in-ring work, charisma and sheer talent at that time. But while KO had a decent main roster run overall, sadly he was one of the very few exceptions to the rule.

[@emigrant1510]

10:17 Oh, don't worry, Adam. Kross sure has that number one spot locked in now.

[@PalataoBola0]

This age well. Even Bray Wyatt is gone now.

[@royshaheer]

It hurts to know that!

[@Trizvdl]

Wait, what...? What did I miss? Was he fired?

[@EddieAFool]

@@Trizvdl Yes

[@john-olivierlukama1548]

@@Trizvdl for budget cuts.

[@Lynch2507]

@@john-olivierlukama1548 *being overprotective of his gimmick. Which, to be fair, you fuckin would with that writing room.

[@talkingbenson5487]

man, i loved Finn Balor's call-up. Especially when he beat "stale Babyface" Roman Reigns clean. Boy, this was such a treat for the smarks.... eventho' I think Reigns was punished for his positive drug test but still, it was beautiful. And then Finn got injured and everything changed :/

[@JacksonOwex]

Yeah, sad times!!!

[@cyan3284]

"Maybe Kross will recover, he almost definitely will"...welp that aged like milk

[@VoroxPete]

Adam: "Kross will recover" Vince: "Oh, we'll see about that..."

[@Bfratman]

That didn’t age well one bit

[@difference3maker36]

He’s back. And better than ever

[@InquisitorMoz]

This comment didn’t age well

[@christianmargil7746]

It’s aged like milk that somehow turned into aged cheese lol

[@kurtisdefender]

I feel bad for Dijakovic. He is so great , and he's still stuck with that name ...

[@kryceksangel]

I couldn't help it. I called him what Omega called him when I saw him at a nxt houseshow

[@tiamatt44]

I'd like to give a honorable mention to one of the first call ups, Bo Dallas. Yes it's a shame that his career went essentially nowhere, but his debut of the super smiling, inspirational, annoying heel was actually pretty fun to watch in the beginning. Of course like the rest of his career it didn't lead to much, but it's still somehow better than a lot of other call ups.....and now I've just made myself sad. ;(

[@BiggieTrismegistus]

I loved Bo Dallas' "bolieve" gimmick. It was entertaining but also made you want to boo the guy. Dallas with that gimmick should have been a bigger deal than he was.

[@W_Abi]

I don't understand tho, Karrion’s not even finished with his storyline at NXT. Why are they calling him up now and sacrificing Keith Lee?

[@penguinsinorbit2034]

i think keith is getting buried for trying copyright his own name. And a bunch of reports came out tha vince is upset NXT couldnt beat AEW so he lost faithj in the entire brand..

[@NecroticCortex]

Bold of you to assume Vince has any idea what he's doing

[@W_Abi]

@@BrockSamsonVB definitely agree, just not at the expense of NXT upstarts who genuinely need wins to build their main roster career (or at least his wins over them should build them up in some capacity through good story telling).

[@W_Abi]

@@penguinsinorbit2034 oh…well that’s dumb all around

[@cassiusfelix2805]

I know right

[@BossVolt]

It's honestly just nice to hear Adam be as pissed off as the rest of is at the bad ones, Karrion Kross especially

[@attevuoristo5581]

Bray Wyatt. Did amazing things after NXT but he was maybe the most mistreated and misused character ever.

[@emigrant1510]

Oh, well. I'm sure he at least got a _release_ from the constant stress of re-inventing himself creatively just to be poorly booked, right?

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

@@emigrant1510 Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.

[@emigrant1510]

@@heyyyyyyy4942 Thank God I'm an agnostic.

[@RobCrowley85]

By far

[@OrcDragon65]

I think the Finn situation proves NXT isn't truly developmental anymore, it's the third brand and in my opinion the Best brand.

[@VoroxPete]

Oh God. I'm so, so sorry... Like, I can't even laugh at this. It's just sad. Vince genuinely hates his fans.

[@blacksailorscout1329]

Really shows how hard Vince has been trying to sabotage NXT for a long time

[@ThePynnacle]

Adam: "Kross may become better than retribution, hell, he almost definitely will..." Vince: *grabs paper shredder mask and straps*

[@AcornPlays]

This right here is why NXT never beat AEW in ratings: that pervasive sense of hopelessness. I often prefer NXT's weekly show to Dynamite. But I'm not there dreading what they'll do to MJF, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin or Ricky Starks. I'm wondering who will have the better career. With NXT call-ups they're either gone (too many to list), entertaining but either different from NXT or less hot than they were (Zayn, Owens) or worse off by a huge margin (Keith Lee). Why invest in NXT programming when, in the end, it doesn't even matter?

[@romanmarshall1412]

Couldn’t of worded this any better

[@ronnie3044]

Thats not really an NXT exclusive thing though. Its all of WWE.

[@romanmarshall1412]

@@ronnie3044 i can see what you’re saying but I agree with the OP. Watching absolute stars get made on NXT knowing they are eventually going to get “called up” to the main roster…. When you invest so much as a fan into a character just to watch it get destroyed on the main roster is upsetting. Watching Bobby Roode now is painful to me. From seeing those incredible entrances at Takeover after Takeover, the character was developed so well. A self absorbed heel that always somehow comes away with the win…. To his most recent 5 second cameo promo robbing $20 from Baron Corbin. It’s tragic. I hate to say it but the only hope in all of this is that Triple H runs NXT, Vince runs the main roster. Hopefully when Vince hands the reigns over to Triple H, he gets the same creative influence on the main roster as he does on NXT.

[@Sandiramon]

It's still possible to refuse the call-up to the main roster as well. I think that's what both Ciampa and Johnny G. did. (Not counting the one night debut they had.)

[@Veggieman87]

Perfectly described it. If you're in NXT and you get called up, you may as well change your music to Linkin Park, because whatever good-to-great things you did there aren't worth a hill of beans once you reach the main roster. "They need to get over on their own", corporate says? How can they when you sandbag them so hard they can barely stand upright as soon as they arrive?

[@meko750]

"Mabe Kross will recover and become better than RETRIBUTION, hell, he almost definitely will." Narrator: He almost definitely would not.

[@delilahhayden]

AJ Lee (and to a less extent Kaitlyn) Started the Women's Revolution before Paige & Emma. You'll never change my mind. Paige and Emma helped but AJ Lee started the revolution calling out how important the females were to anyone who would listen and how Total Divas was not a representation of the hardworking women in the back.

[@BroBuster]

You're free to be wrong.

[@siraan5642]

If you want to go back to the very beginning, to where the first seeds were sprinkled, but nothing began really growing yet - Mickie James.

[@McCrispyTaco]

Balor had the best debut in my opinion. He beat 5 big names in his first night, then won a world title on his debut pay per view.

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@olaegbeolasubomi2379]

That Paige win was so special in that moment, still gives me goosebumps

[@TheLonelySoulja]

I hated that moment still to this day.

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

@@TheLonelySoulja Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@PointerY2J]

Remember when Adam was certain than Karrion Kross was going to have a better career on the main roster than Retribution?

[@Fapfappa]

"Maybe Karrion Kross will recover" Yeah, about that...

[@stopthecap6913]

Balor's debut should have been 1st, his debut sparked the new era of WWE.

[@torimoneey2564]

Agreed

[@natecannon6746]

What new era? It's the same garbage on tv.

[@stopthecap6913]

@@natecannon6746 Late 2016 and early 2017.

[@dirtydan9728]

@@natecannon6746 smackdown live and raw era but smackdown live mostly. 2016-early 2017 is an underrated time period for WWE imo

[@JacksonOwex]

@@stopthecap6913 We're calling a FEW MONTHS an "era"?! I'll have what they're on... having!!!

[@wstine79]

The main roster debut of Lacey Evans just awful. She spent more time walking than wrestling the first couple of weeks

[@samsational168]

Her first feud was with Becky Lynch for the raw women's championship

[@TheTrainFan9]

@@samsational168 That was after Wrestlemania. Before that, she: -Debuted just before the Rumble -Entered into said Rumble at no. 1 and lasted a decent amount of time in it -Then spent the next two months walking out on stage, not saying a word, and then walking back WHAT WAS THE POINT. Every week she wasted TV time pacing up and down the ramp contributing NOTHING to any storylines. Not even to mention once they did put her in a program, they immediately hotshotted her into a program with the champ even though it was arguably much too soon for her. Just all around terrible stuff.

[@samsational168]

@@TheTrainFan9 I don’t mind that tbh. The point was it lead to her walking out and interrupting the champ. It familiarised her with the casual audience for a few weeks before making an impact by knocking out the women’s champ. Yes it was probably too soon but that’s a whole other story. My point is sometimes it’s ok to take your time, a great example of this is Elias who debuted by drifting around for a few weeks at first to silence but eventually to huge pops for literally walking past during a backstage segment and then eventually had his first match with Dean Ambrose who was the IC champion and won! (With help from the Miz) then he started doing his concerts and beating jobbers and getting over with his charisma. it was just a really good slow build and shows not everyone has to make a huge splash in their first night especially when they’re someone like Elias or Lacey Evans who were a little green and weren’t a super over act in nxt and could use a little bit more seasoning.

[@blueweegie6541]

Sorta similar to heavy machinery but they were at least funny

[@Dave_ja_vu]

You weren't supposed to enjoy seeing her. It's cheap heat, and you didn't switch off and stop watching so job done

[@outlawrip-offartist4161]

Kevin Owens had the greatest run in NXT history, and I will fight people over this.

[@CheezusChrist1776]

So will he, obviously

[@samsational168]

I'm with you

[@nicholasartuso4698]

100% agree

[@bionicredneck8805]

Fight me, cuz my pick shocked the system!

[@robertlawrence4719]

Kill Steen kill

[@travispardy8649]

Adam calling WWE a backwards company? Well, maybe they should recognize they're backwards, call themselves "EWW" and just come to terms with who they really are.

[@elijahspeller6796]

This comment was somehow cheesy and absolutely perfect...

[@ArcaneAzmadi]

For some reason, I've never thought about what WWE spelled backwards is... it's a good fit, isn't it?

[@shariffsingh8593]

EWW is the perfect name for that company

[@john-olivierlukama1548]

Wow. I feel enlightened

[@JacksonOwex]

@@elijahspeller6796 The best cheese is ALWAYS also perfect!!!

[@BrunoDiaz93]

I like that for Finn Balors section, you left out the 2 or 3 weeks where Rollins said he wasnt afraid of the Demon and dared him to come out full make up on a random ass episode of Raw. I wish WWE had not done it either.

[@cameronfraser7042]

Real impressive how you managed to stretch to five good ones

[@JacksonOwex]

Nah, they WERE good early on but I think that might be why it was five good and five bad, finding more than five that really were good is hard to do, but you could do an hour long video probably about all the bad call-ups that have happened!!!

[@konnorrockkonnoisseur4970]

I remember that whole several weeks span between when Balor got drafted to Raw and Summerslam that year. I’ve never seen a wrestler become so over so fast in my life. If he didn’t get injured when he won the universal title, the ENTIRE WWE timeline would be drastically different

[@JacksonOwex]

That's one of the points this video tried to make, he didn't GET over he already WAS over because of his NXT run!!!

[@konnorrockkonnoisseur4970]

@@JacksonOwex well to be fair, I was in my teens and was not super familiar with NXT at the time but I knew who Balor was

[@RoguePenguin95]

"Maybe Karrion Kross will recover"

[@skateorpie]

He definitely is recovering now not being in that company lol

[@adultishgambino1]

So we can acknowledge that Charlotte's debut is equally as bad as Kross but the only difference is that NXT wasn't as big yet.....they both were big deals on NXT holding titles to the main roster and lost under 3 minutes to (with all due respect) former world champions that WWE gave up on and made them known jobbers.

[@hobovillage9187]

I actually have to disagree with that. When Charlotte came up and lost, all she did was lose, which is bad, but for Kross, he lost an undefeated streak, came out without his manager or any of his big showy presentation, made to just look like a dude, lost to a guy who was not doing anything but losing for months

[@jeffjokerdude1]

@@BrockSamsonVB Hey, you know, maybe, I dunno, they could, I guess, HAVE HARDY BEAT SOMEONE ELSE. We know WWE brings in locals for squashes, hire a jobber for the night and let Hardy bask in No More Words. They did NOT need to bury Kross like that, and I don't even like Kross.

[@noahp1124]

@@BrockSamsonVB I’m all for hardy getting a push and I hope he is but if that’s the case he shouldn’t have been fighting cross at all bc it was lose lose

[@jeffjokerdude1]

@@BrockSamsonVB "They don't care about Kross, this guy most have never seen or heard of? Well, might as well bury him *on his debut* because the fans didn't like him before they knew he existed." That's just idiocy.

[@adultishgambino1]

@@hobovillage9187 you’re not wrong on that. Especially knowing Kross is about to have the biggest NXT match of his career against Joe.

[@8x6apexdoubledoorshed37]

The Blampied photoshop onto Scarlett is now my sleep paralysis demon

[@ExSpectre]

I agree with everything here except that Finn should be number 1. You really can’t have a better debut than winning the top belt in your first few weeks and being the first person to hold said too belt. There will never be another first Universal Champion.

[@BmanTheChamp]

Had he held on to it and not gotten injured there's an argument to be made. I'm not the biggest fan of Kevin Owens but even I admit there's not really any bigger impact or better debut you can make than beating the company's top star, and not only that but a guy who's been the top star for an entire decade by that time.

[@gametime1227]

Samoa joe could have been number one but wwe and injury’s just messed him up u remember when he came and took out the biggest name in the wwe at the time hell the number one pick of the draft Seth Rollins but they couldn’t book him right

[@GameBreaker1055]

~Aways Sunny in Philidaphia theme playing~ *Kross did not become better than Retribution*

[@randomguy-zb4tl]

Honorable mention to samoa Joe's call up as one of the best. He walked into the ring, stared lesnar in the eye without showing an inch of fear and then head butted him straight to the ground.

[@Anxomaxo]

And now Karrion Kross is running around in Demolition/BrutusMagnus cosplay...

[@jvstice56]

Had Balor not been injured, he easily would've been the best call up of all time. Owens was legendary and deserves its spot, but Balor's was mythic. Having that much faith in the Brass to be pushed to not only beat Golden Boy Reigns but beat Triple H's pet for a debuting top championship and CLEAN. Just imagine the reign Balor would've had with the Jam Belt. I wish we all lived in that universe. As for those worst call-ups.....I can only blame Vince for "not understanding/getting them".

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@DylanQuitoriano]

4:19 screenshot gives me John o’clock Memories

[@Fuadistro]

I think that, prior to zombies at least, Damien Priest had a good Call-Up. Eliminated 4 people at the rumble (including Kane) and won at his Wrestlemania debut!

[@DontBotherMate]

backwards sometimes!? after the bray wyatt release, i’m convinced they’re backwards all the time

[@christiankarlkarganilla2763]

Maybe not all the time but definitely most of the time

[@zackcascio5652]

Well this was created before Wyatt was released

[@mageside]

Bray Wyatt doesn't equal 100% of the bad booking decisions of the company, that started LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG before Wyatt went down to NXT.

[@gunnersfan111]

Man, the Karrion Kross comments aged well...🤣

[@whysoserious5519]

Very well put together.

[@ReturnOfMonke]

Karrion Kross was an awful call-up because they had him in NXT as this dominant unbeatable monster and then he debuted… and they completely butchered everything that people loved about the character.

[@MauXtrem]

LOL the fan at 12:05 going "Boo" on Owens cracks me up bad.

[@Waterhead]

"We're going to call up Kross, have him lose several matches and then bring in Scarlett. That will show that he needs her! It's story telling guys, don't you get it? We're so clever!" At least that was the plan a few days ago; we'll see what happens.

[@TravisBroski]

I mean, I get that, but like he already had her in NXT, what’s stopping this undefeated champion from bringing her with and making his presence and entrance cool? Like if that’s the plan, alright there’s something to be made, but with who he already is and where he stands now, it just wasn’t the best booking. MAYBE have her abandon him during NXT, have him pop up, then after a tiny bit, have her return and power him up. But as NXT champion now, not so much.

[@IamErik31]

Aaaaand he’s gone.

[@spdutahraptor777]

Watching how wwe handles talent is like watching those slo mo crash test footages: you know it gonna crash, you know the car will be destroyed, and the worst part is that you get to see every freacking detail of it

[@JacksonOwex]

This is a GREAT analogy!!!

[@aiden5831]

Anyone else wait for these videos every Sunday? Your great Adam!

[@lordeowstheking]

I don't, but in my defense i have a life and don't sit around waiting for youtube videos like a mfkn lame.

[@aiden5831]

@@lordeowstheking ok. Thanks for replying to me!

[@perfectprince8062]

Why WWE are spoiling most NXT callups? Why have them put in hard work in NXT only to be wasted on the main roster? So why call them up in the first place?!

[@ivanpabon2741]

Because Vince doesn't watch nxt.

[@stevenhicks6751]

Great list I'd switch Owens and The Shield however it definitely can go either way. Kross on the main roster is a HUGE disappointment and that's an understatement. Dude has ALL the tools to be a MAJOR STAR. Even all the tools Vince loves. Never seen this coming with his call up. It's a shame. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@MajinGatomon]

Tylor Breeze would be my Number 6 honestly. That guy had alot of talent and charisma... and he was reduced to 10 years of comedy segments with Fandango.

[@BodamEscapePlan]

I wish I could like this video about 42 million more times, but who am I kidding? Vince McMahon belongs in a retirement home and WWE’s main roster creative team and writers should be blasted into outer space never to be seen again. I just know they’re going to ruin Finn Balor AGAIN and continue to botch Karrion Kross’ time on the “main roster.” Please, WWE. Just leave Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher, LA Knight, Kushida, Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory “down” in NXT. I’m also terrified that Io Shirai will get Naomi’d If/when she gets “called up.”

[@chrisbartolini1508]

Keith Lee was my last straw with WWE. Couple that with Roman’s tired, year and a half title reign and it almost feels like this company is personally trying to turn me off.

[@stevenreadicker2777]

I agree with this list, but I feel like we should at least acknowledge Shinske Nakamura. I still watch his Smackdown callup on KZbin, and I don't even watch WWE anymore

[@ivanpabon2741]

Feels bad man

[@petedunne_2544]

Yah that's a really good shout..Shinsuke is the reason I started watching NXT.

[@nickkeep4106]

I’m back just to see how annoyed Adam was at Kross now they’ve renamed Walter to Gunther imaging how mad he will be at that.

[@Jas-ii3fp]

I feel like Retribution could have been something if the writers actually put long effort into it and put them as a big threat to raw Didn't have any good storyline, Were put as a threat, or gotten big wins I feel NXT does storylines way better then Raw and smackdown I also felt like NXT does a better job putting better matches on there brand

[@FunkoPopnLockn]

I was at the 2016 draft fun show, kind of lame for people who couldn’t see the titantron aka me but hell it was fun. The Jericho Cesaro match is worth a watch.

[@misteraskman3668]

And to this day, Kevin Owens is still my favourite WWE wrestler. From his call up that made me care for NXT.

[@TinkSalsa]

I wonder how different this list would be if 1) hardy didn't get covid and need to leave temporarily immediately after beating kross 2) balor didn't need to give up his title right after winning it

[@ThisIsBUTTON]

I'm a bit confused by Finn saying he'll be taking the Uni title back to NXT. So maybe there's hope.

[@angelking3708]

@@BrockSamsonVB NXT is not developmental.

[@jonmelsha7201]

@@BrockSamsonVB hasn't been developmental for at least 2 years..

[@jonmelsha7201]

@@BrockSamsonVB it has ceased to be developmental when main roster guys go down to wrestle there .

[@jonmelsha7201]

@@BrockSamsonVB because they gotta start somewhere. But nxt definitely isn't developmental

[@jonmelsha7201]

@@BrockSamsonVB yea they start in the performance center. Not nxt

[@All5Horizons]

My real issue with Kross is its execution. It shouldn’t have been Jeff Hardy, first of all. But I actually think you could make a pretty interesting storyline of a wrestler who runs the table in NXT and assumes they’re going to jump on Raw and do the same, only to be defeated and realize it’s not going to be that easy. The match would have to be long enough and competitive enough to make it clear that he clearly has the ABILITY to win, but that his overconfidence comes back to bite him. Then he can have a brief run where the frustration causes him to get in his own head and desperately try to “make up” for his loss, only to get in his own way and fall just short of getting there. When he eventually gets the win, you can make it the watershed moment where he’s finally “figured it out” and then goes on a lengthy win streak. I just think there’s a way to do a main roster debut that’s something different but still interesting

[@javarilacet5574]

Spoiler alert: Cross didn’t recover.

[@theraVen27]

Now the long term successful call ups- shield and 4 horsewomen. That’s it. KO is largely forgotten. Wyatt was abused and released. Balor back to nxt for a restart. Asuka jobbing. Paige injured and addicted. There’s truly just those two groups who have been long term successful from NXT. Developmental??

[@emigrant1510]

Here's an old comment I remember from all the way back when the Viking Raiders got called up and had that stupid new name: _"The Viking Experience sounds like something you'd have to pay extra for the escort to do past-midnight at the hotel."_

[@burnthetrolls5971]

I always said Vince hates NXT since it's far superior to RAW and the botched handling of Ricochet, Aleister Black, The War Machine, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Killer Kross proves it

[@Guille_Guiverno_V]

LORD that kross call up was "hey let's kill this wrestler in the main roster in less than 5 minutes (2 to be exactly)" damn son, I hope someone say "hey can we not kill the next NXT call ups OH!! AND NOT CUT THEY NAMES TOO!!?? (see tegan and shotzi)"

[@dylanredmond1752]

Tegan Nox is still her name, but I genuinely do not understand Shotzi losing her last name. Shotzi on it's own is cool, Shotzi Blackheart is badass.

[@TrocaTheNero]

@@dylanredmond1752 Yeah, at least Tegan Nox is still Tegan Nox.

[@blueweegie6541]

@@adarshbs7259 I agree with u since hes been in nxt hes been like that but from what I have saw on KZbin about him he is actually great his impact stuff was on point and lucha underground but again am only going on like 5 minute videos

[@Dave_ja_vu]

It didn't kill Charlotte when it happened her. He'll be fine, if they decide to get behind him.

[@Dave_ja_vu]

@@dylanredmond1752 the blackheart thing might be a worry not to be associated with the Black Hart Owen Hart.

[@BreakerdudeOfficial]

I know this might be a bit niche but would love to see a top 10 Wyatt family matches/moments list. Considering all of them are gone from WWE now and they were such a huge part of the company throughout most of the 2010s

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@JoJo-gh1ot]

It’s even worse that it was on Kross’s birthday 😂

[@David-1337]

9:01 look at that Man and tell me he doesn't look like he could be a megastar. He has the looks, the talent and, if given time, the character. Although I don't remember if he's still in the company

[@stromsgardiii5671]

I dont buy the "It could be the start of a storyline" argument for Karion Kross. I don't watch NXT. In the end, seeing Kross lose the way he did just doesn't make me care about him. I honestly think Jeff wasnt a good first match for him, but at least if he crushed him in a minute I'd have taken notice. But now? He just seems silly. He lost via illegal rollup. I mean...Why SHOULD I care now? To be clear, I believe Kross could be a great based on other people's comments. Im just stating it from the point of view of someone who doesn't watch NXT.

[@yeeto-247]

Yeah kross will be a top star soon

[@ivanpabon2741]

Same. Barely pay attention to most things happening in nxt. Just knew that kross was a big deal there. Then after the loss nxt are still trying to act like he's this unbeatable force that soma Joe has to come back for just to beat him. Can't wait for Joe to have the belt so I can forget that kross ever had the thing

[@TheOneWhoReportsForDuty]

“Maybe Kross will get better.” It took a regime change to do it but he’s getting there at least.

[@Rdc_Dom]

You knew they had plans for finn balor because he beat roman reigns CLEAN with one finisher in 2016.

[@Rdc_Dom]

@@BrockSamsonVB that's what I said

[@JacksonOwex]

Maybe, or they looked at it as Roman being punished for failing that drug test by losing to a "Rookie" who was also going to win the title that was meant for him(probably)!

[@conc0n]

reminder that Karrion Kross is now wearing a bucket on his head with weird suspender straps that barely stay on and doesn’t have his much-more-over-than-him girlfriend who hasn’t even had a match in WWE

[@PrimeIsCrime]

I remember watching the night when Paige pinned AJ Lee. I was still in my early teens and had no idea NXT even existed. Paige to me revolutionized Women's division and also introduced me to NXT.

[@DerpSpY205]

I still cry when I remember Finn getting injured at the worst possible time 😢

[@SponsorNo1]

I miss seeing Bray Wyatt on my screen. Also, Adam made me realize how much I miss Paige. Let her do something, please!

[@JacksonOwex]

Is she still under contract with... well ANYONE at the moment?!

[@pkmkid84]

At 8:02, I thought he said, "Dominic died of COVID," so I had to rewind it.

[@209clayton]

Can confirm that they didn't do anything woth kross

[@kryceksangel]

9:15 I was there that night. Only wish my front row seat was on the side the Shield came in on but I did have Mox and Shamo land in front of me

[@TheYakieTakieShow]

He spoke too soon on Karrion Kross

[@williamrosmer5629]

this list makes me even sadder after the most recent batch of releases

[@Crazy56U]

This aged horribly.

[@d4b0o5t5]

The Shield by far was the BEST callup ever

[@t.o.double9497]

“And fuckin Veer on Main Event” 🤣🤣🤣

[@CarlosSanchez1979]

Update: Kross is now 1-2 and if I’m not mistaken, Jeff Hardy will be cleared next week so expect WWE to continue with the plan and make him win over Cross in the next RAW 🙂

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@dokuganryu1565]

Current thoughts on him?

[@CarlosSanchez1979]

@@dokuganryu1565 he is getting booked better, but still not leaving up to his full potential, his entrance and gear are definitively bad, but at least he is not jobbing yet, hopefully he can bounce back and become the monster he was before

[@anthonykaruri6430]

@@CarlosSanchez1979 oh boy, something tells me he won't have the capacity to bounce back

[@CarlosSanchez1979]

@@anthonykaruri6430 Nope, not at all and if i’m not mistaken, Kross ended up in bad terms with Impact, R O H is not an option at the moment and AEW is supper stacked as it is, so, he will not have it so easy, but lets see how it goes in 90 days

[@WeiNingYong]

Well this aged well. Karion Kross now has that terrible helmet thing as well.

[@KingDirryDave]

Goodbye Keith and Kross Too soon

[@mrsensible3560]

Tbf, Kross going on an absolute murder spree following the loss to Jeff Hardy would’ve been cool.

[@darn4285]

Finn Balor should have been #1 to be honest. You have to realize that his debut was historic since he won two consecutive matches in one night against the top RAW stars. Roman Reigns was fresh off of losing the WWE title, yet he lost clean to Balor. And Balor went on to face Rollins who had one of the greatest runs in 2015-2016, won clean against him as well to become the first Universal champion. Becoming a world champion in four weeks tops is very fast for a debut. Not only that but Reigns and Rollins were two SHIELD members. And his injury is still one of the most talked about What Ifs? today. Cena may be the most synonymous name to WWE but he is not his 2011 self where he was beating everybody, so defeating him would not be considered as impressive as one might think nowadays.

[@JacksonOwex]

Reigns had done a no-no though so he was likely being punished, that KIND OF dilutes that win a bit but Balor DID become the FIRST EVER Universal Champion, that's pretty awesome!!!

[@felipeh6012]

At this point I just believe in my head that NXT is a whole another timeline

[@jakeevans4130]

Same, so many wrestlers in nxt are different ec3 and Bobby roode are an example.

[@elbermoramontero2769]

Karrion Kross has a second chance now. Let's hope for the best.

[@davidgraham8299]

Yeah, about that.

[@narenmappat576]

the kevin owens debut give me goosebumps, still to this day

[@heyyyyyyy4942]

Hey just wanted to tell you that God and Jesus love you so much that God would send his one and only son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins. Get a relationship with God and Jesus and repent for your sins.God and Jesus love you so much and are always with you. Live for Christ and not the world and Follow God and Jesus.✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️✝️

[@MrSmallsCO]

Great List Adam as usual but I have a few names that you may have missed: Worst: EC3, Heavy Machinery, Lars Sullivan, The Vaudevillians, Emma, Sanity

[@quinnsanders4676]

Otis did good tho

[@samsational168]

Heavy Machinery was fine, I remember them beating like 4 raw tag teams in a gauntlet match, hard to be booked stronger than that lmao and they gave Lars everything but his own personal demons and injuries got in the way. Vaudevillians I would put in the Asuka category, they won a tag tournament and challenged new day for the belts on ppv before everything went downhill and Vince decided he didn't like them

[@WarBossTilt]

here I am watching this for the first time on the 18th of September 2021 and oh boy did it not get better for Kross

[@Skinwalker_Club]

I remember back in 2015-16 in NXT getting called up felt like somewhat a kin to a ceremony honoring the body of work they accomplished and were acknowledged for their body of work and brought up cause their presence was needed. But fumble after fumble with 1 great talent after the next, WWE is like someone claiming to be the best marksman in the world and then demonstrates by shooting their own foot. 🤦🏽‍♂️