10 Big Lessons WWE Must Learn From 2016
7. The Premature Call-Ups Must End
It’s true that WWE often stifle wrestlers’ careers by keeping them stuck in NXT for far longer than necessary. Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and Tye Dillinger, for example, have been ready for a main roster call-up for months, and their continued presence at Full Sail only hampers their growth. NXT has almost become a third brand in its own right, but it’s time to move them up.
On the other side of the coin, WWE have made a number of premature main roster promotions this year. Nia Jax, Carmella, Apollo Crews, and a handful of others have moved to Raw and SmackDown despite their lack of seasoning, and each has struggled to make an impact as a result. Raw & SmackDown’s more inexperienced wrestlers look woefully out of their depth, and it’s not fair on the talent.
Carmella, for example, draws almost no reaction from the crowd whenever her music hits. It’s very clear that she could have benefited from an extra year or two at the Performance Center, and she has been entirely unconvincing on SmackDown. Her peers are the same, and until WWE stop hot-shotting such wrestlers onto the main roster, they’ll struggle for depth. Yes, the Brand Split necessitated a few call-ups, but wrestlers like Carmella and Crews just aren’t ready for the spotlight.