10 Times WWE Stupidly Tried To Plug Gaps

2. The February 2019 NXT Call-Ups

Tommaso Ciampa Aleister Black Ricochet Johnny Gargano
WWE

The stench of desperation hung thick in the air as WWE revealed the graphics for their latest NXT call-ups. Well, it was either desperation or the collective sweat glands of developmental brand fans panicking about Vince McMahon ruining all their faves. The concern wasn't misguided. The very opposite of the point of beloved brand, the call-ups solved no problems on the main roster and created a raft of new ones in the aftermath.

Amidst rank ratings for the pre-WrestleMania run-in, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black and Ricochet were airlifted onto the show in a short-sighted stab at fixing systemic problems way beyond new talent surprises. It almost immediately backfired.

NXT TakeOver: New York's main event between at-the-time uneasy partners Ciampa and Gargano was shot to sh*t thanks in part to the NXT Champion sustaining a neck injury that resulted in the title being declared vacant before the supershow. Unable to find their feet as singles stars, Ricochet and Black made the best of it as a tag team before being separated just as they were getting over. 'Johnny Wrestling' escaped altogether, returning to NXT full time until another dreaded call-up beckons.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett