10 Worst First Days For WWE NXT Call-Ups

6. Brendan Vink

Karrion Kross
WWE

Perhaps it was because Brandan Vink lived close to WWE's Performance Center that he got his shot pretty much out of nowhere on the March 23rd edition of Monday Night Raw.

The pandemic had strangled all wrestling within in an inch of its life, but wrestling was predictably taking a mile from that inch. If wrestlers were available, they were valuable, and Vink was certainly the former if never once booked to be the latter.

Teaming with fellow NXT alumni Shane Thorne (more on him later), Vink certainly looked the part and was still so unknown as a character (even within the confines of the black-and-gold brand) that he may well have been a perfectly pitched newcomer to spice up one of the darkest times in human history. WrestleMania was going to be a stretch, but there have been all sorts of post-'Show Of Show' pushes more ridiculous than this one.

It wasn't to be. MVP took half an interest then lost it, Vink and Thorne were beaten like a drum for a month and a half, and Vink disappeared into the abyss for 14 months. Still, could have been worse...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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