10 NXT Stars That Have Been Squandered
Genuine wastes of talent out of the Full Sail crop.
WrestleMania is an event steeped in tradition. Its serialization as WWE's landmark annual event spins off traditions both in the event itself, and as part of the festive weekend that WrestleMania has become.
One of those modern traditions is the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw, which comes with the promise of several call-ups from NXT. This week, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews, Enzo Amore, and Big Cass all made their arrivals on Raw (Corbin actually made a surprise debut one night earlier), and the raucous cross-section audience in Dallas received them quite well.
Once NXT became a WWE Network attraction in February 2014, subscribers have championed the brand as one of the primary reasons they remain loyal to the WWE brand. However, aside from Kevin Owens and a handful of others, WWE hasn't exactly cashed in on high fan sentiment for the NXT studs. In the cases of many call-ups, they've been put in considerably worse position than they were on WWE's most-exciting weekly TV broadcast.
Granted, not everybody can be pushed at once, and there's an excessive logjam in the main roster's upper tiers, but the performers on this list could fare a bit better than they have. Some have been pushed, but the creative hasn't done them justice. Others have struggled to get out of the starting blocks. A few never even made it to the main roster, and were squandered prematurely.
NOTE: This list only includes NXT performers from the WWE Network era (February 2014 onward)
10. Blue Pants
Leva Bates has long been an in-demand performer from independent promotions that found it beneficial to feature women's wrestling as an entree instead of a novelty act. Her simplistic 'Blue Pants' name was borne out of an impromptu joke from Enzo and Cass, and Full Sail crowds immediately recognized the prolific and quirky Bates from her comprehensive indy career.
Initially used as something of an enhancement trainer for Carmella, Bates was receiving 'Blue Pants' chants from the vociferous crowds at the tapings, and was more popular than a number of the showcase performers.
Sadly, Bates never really outgrew her initial intention as a supplement, and found herself on the outs with WWE after reports of public misconduct on the weekend of SummerSlam 2015.