10 NXT Stars That Failed On The Main Roster (And Why)
5. Emma
One of WWE’s most talented female wrestlers and talkers, Tenille ‘Emma’ Dashwood has been overlooked for half a decade. She should be used to it by now.
Her matches with Paige in NXT were instrumental in the third brand’s elevation of the women to co-headline status. Paige got the Diva’s title, and the Four Horsewomen got the rub. Emma was told to work lower card comedy as Santino Marella’s valet. Emma was part of the infamous thirty-second match with Paige against the Bella Twins on RAW in February 2015 that gave rise to the #GiveDivasAChance social media campaign. The Bellas and Paige got a tag team match at WrestleMania 31 out of it; Emma was replaced in the feud by AJ Lee.
Injuries have played their part as well, with a juicy feud with the equally talented Becky Lynch after WrestleMania 32 derailed when she hurt her back. But then WWE botched her comeback with the Emmalina fiasco, a failure of forward planning that would be alarming, if it wasn’t largely the norm.
Arguably, Emma bridges the gap between the model-style Divas of old and the workers of the current roster. It’s difficult to fathom what WWE are thinking here, especially given the recent emphasis the company has placed on female talent…but we should be used to it by now.