10 Most Improved Wrestlers On The Planet Today
1. Juice Robinson
CJ Parker, with some irony, given his namesake, floundered under the wave upon wave of incoming Indy starlets throughout his middling NXT run. A serviceable worker performing a strange gimmick confused in its presentation - the proto-SJW act bluntly raged ("I hate all of you people!"), where he really should have whined - it was all deeply midcard. It resonated only as the experiment it was, in that he was so clearly a performer putting on a performance.
As Juice Robinson, the man is a complete revelation.
He is an awesome babyface worker. Through evidencing the clear belief he holds within himself, he has allowed the audience, in turn, to believe in him. His in-ring work is at once simple and state-of-the-art; unfussy enough to inspire audience participation with his best-in-the-world level worked punches but boasting enough lunatic bumps to raise the temperature and sympathy levels, Juice is aptly-named, having earned the respect of a discerning audience in a stupidly competitive environment.
His promo work is incredible, too; after he won the United States Title, he said "Sh*t, anybody who says that titles don't matter in this business can burn in hell. Titles don't matter? If titles don't matter, then why the hell are we doin' this?"
How could you not believe in that?
New Japan's informal rethink to more PG parameters will force a further rethink of Robinson's expletive-laden promo game - but the transition NXT also-ran to New Japan star was far, far more of a challenge.