WWE NXT: Predicting The Next 10 Main Roster Call-Ups
With WrestleMania on the horizon, it's time for WWE to refresh their talent pool.
2016 was a year of unparalleled roster turnover for WWE, and NXT call-ups had a huge part to play in this. 17 wrestlers made the jump from NXT to the main roster last year, and some have already become major players on their respective brands.
Alexa Bliss and American Alpha both hold championships on SmackDown, Bayley is the current Raw Women's Champion, and Finn Bálor won the Universal Title less than a month after debuting. The likes of Apollo Crews have struggled, but for the most part, WWE made great use of last year's NXT call-ups, and they've shown no hesitation in pushing them immediately.
NXT is stuffed with talent at the moment, and with the likes of Bobby Roode, Kassius Ohno, and the new UK recruits firmly in the mix, the brand is well-equipped to cope with another talent exodus. The post-WrestleMania season usually brings a number of call-ups, and with some of NXT's biggest stars ready to move on, this year shouldn't be any different.
Raw and SmackDown are both crying out for depth across their rosters, and with their "new season" right around the corner, fans can expect an influx of new talent over the coming months...
10. Hideo Itami
Hideo Itami has been a member of the NXT roster since September 2014, but he has been injured for over half that time. His most recent inactive spell started after suffering an injured neck last October, and while the former KENTA was recently given the all-clear to return, he hasn’t appeared on NXT TV since and wasn’t present at this week’s tapings.
He’s one of NXT’s most popular wrestlers, but it looks like his NXT career will never take off without interruption. While there are still some rough edges in his game which could be ironed out, it’s time for WWE to forget about the idea of building Itami up through NXT. The likes of Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and now Kassius Ohno have overtaken him in the pecking order, and it’ll be a long, long time before he’s able to reach the top at Full Sail.
At 35 years old, it’s time to bring Itami onto the main roster. He’s one of the most decorated Junior Heavyweights in recent puroresu history, and would bring something new and dynamic to the Cruiserweight division on Raw and 205 Live. Itami lacks charisma, but he’s a world-class in ring competitor with a hard-hitting style unlike anyone else on the main roster, and that should help him thrive in such an environment.