10 Current NXT Stars Who Will Struggle On WWE's Main Roster
Into the fire.
From the moment of its establishment five years ago, NXT has become the place to go for a glimpse of the WWE stars of tomorrow.
And yet there's no guarantee that all those currently plying their trade down in Orlando will reach the heights of which they are expected when they step up to the main roster, where the demands and pressure are far greater than anything they have experienced so far.
From Bo Dallas and The Ascension to Emma and Tyler Breeze, there have been countless examples over recent years of NXT graduates who struggled - at least to match their accomplishments in the developmental ranks - after being moved to Raw and SmackDown.
Most of the time, this stems not from any lack of talent, but rather the absence of opportunity. The first few months a budding young wrestler spends on the main roster can be all-important in shaping their career - this is why Kevin Owens and Shinsuke Nakamura, for example, have done so well.
If you get lost in the shuffle early on, however, it can be incredibly difficult to climb your way back to the top...
10. Kassius Ohno
Kassius Ohno is the wrestler who, in terms of style, most closely resembles Cesaro of any current member of the NXT roster - probably because he spent years teaming with the Swiss Sensation under the name "Kings of Wrestling" in ROH.
From the above, we have to assume that Ohno, formerly Chris Hero, will endure a similarly frustrating time if and when he ever makes the step up to Raw or SmackDown. If WWE wanted a technically sound, fleet-footed big guy in the main event, they'd have done it already.
There's also the fact that the 38-year-old is now in the midst of what might be termed a "rough patch". He's spent the last couple of months jobbing to the likes of Lars Sullivan and The Velveteen Dream, despite only returning to the company in January of 2017.
He could eventually find his niche, like Cesaro, in the tag team ranks, but if the likes of The Ascension, American Alpha and The Revival - two-pieces that have been together from the outset - have struggled on the main roster, what hope is there for one thrown together on a whim? Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin are currently in the process of answering this question.