10 NXT Stars WWE Let Slip Right Through Their Fingers
From king of the indies to jobber of the stars...just what happened with Sami Callihan?
In June 2012, NXT made the epic transformation from being viewed as the laughing stock of WWE to serving as its foundation for the future. Long gone were the days of worthless competitions and never-ending seasons. The new and improved NXT gave a glimpse into the future and what fans could expect to see down the road on the main roster.
In watching the pilot episode of NXT filmed at Full Sail University, you'll notice that many of those same competitors can now be seen on Raw and SmackDown including Paige, Seth Rollins and The Wyatt Family. But not every top prospect from the black-and-yellow brand panned out, such Kassius Ohno.
For whatever reason, whether it was backstage politics or a lack of any real direction, he didn't have the run many expected him to, and as a result, he was one of the few tremendously talented hands that was let go from the organisation in late 2013.
However, Ohno is merely one of the several stars who simply didn't make the cut in NXT yet is ripping it up on the wrestling scene around the world right now. As hot of a brand as NXT is at the moment, don't think for a second that there haven't been wrestlers with plenty of potential that WWE didn't utilise the right way and ultimately let them slip right through their fingers.
10. Richie Steamboat
It's surreal to watch back old FCW footage on YouTube from years ago and realise just how many of those developmental stars are currently on the main roster. From Seth Rollins to Paige to Bray Wyatt, the better part of the current roster consists of FCW alumni. But the one former FCW standout you won't see on WWE TV is Richie Steamboat.
The son of WWE Hall of Famer Ricky Steamboat, Richie was a natural in the ring and was one of the brightest stars in FCW from 2010 to 2012, winning three titles throughout his tenure down in developmental. He eventually transitioned from FCW to NXT once the black-and-yellow brand became what it is today and had a handful of televised matches before suffering a serious back injury which sidelined him from action indefinitely.
Following his feud with Kassius Ohno, he likely would have been moved into the NXT Championship picture, but his back injury forced those potential plans to be scrapped. It was years before it was clarified by The Dragon that his son would be unable to wrestle again, preventing him from ever carrying on the Steamboat legacy.
This wasn't a case where WWE was at fault, but it's nevertheless disappointing to think what could have been with Richie Steamboat had injuries not ended his career prematurely.