Every WWE NXT Call-Up In 2017: Ranked From Worst To Best
Booms, busts, and everything in between.
WWE have completely reinvented the concept of a developmental territory with NXT, creating an environment that not only fosters and builds the next wave of wrestling talent, but a viable third brand with its own distinct identity.
It has provided the main roster with an efficient conveyor belt of new blood since its birth in 2012. The Performance Center is the sport's most effective finishing school, and NXT's weekly shows and TakeOver specials are invaluable in familiarising wrestlers with WWE's presentation style without throwing them in at the deep end. The system works, and while NXT success doesn't always translate to the main roster, WWE rarely stray from the format.
2017 has seen 12 wrestlers graduate from NXT to Raw or SmackDown, and while some have floundered, others are now among their brand's biggest stars. We've made a couple of omissions, though. Austin Aries didn't wrestle on the main roster until March 2017, but was called up as 205 Live's commentator in December, while The Singh Brothers wrestled on the cruiserweight show's debut episode the month prior. These renders them ineligible.
With that in mind, let's see how the others stack up.
9. The Riott Squad
Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan may well be the tonic required to rejuvenate the stagnant SmackDown women's division in 2018, but they've barely been around long enough to brew a cup of tea, and haven't made a convincing start.
Their debut angle was a near identical recreation of that used to introduce Paige's Absolution group the night before. The repetition isn't their fault, but it definitely took the edge off their arrival.
The trio cut a horrible, stunted promo the following week, but they've already taken out some of their brand's biggest names, with Naomi and Becky Lynch both falling by their hand. 'Injuring' these former champions give them an extra level of credibility, too.
Riott is a fantastic wrestler herself. Logan is serviceable, but packaged with a go-nowhere gimmick, while Morgan is largely unproven. There's little synergy between them with regards to character or image, so they feel like more of a ragtag bunch of misfits than a cohesive unit. Regardless, there's enough talent between them to make this work, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see one capture the SmackDown Women's Title within the next few months.