10 WWE NXT Main Roster Call-Ups That Must Happen In 2019

Is NXT as a developmental launching pad now entirely redundant?

The company's golden era between 2014-2016 proffered mostly silver medals to those that seemed certain to shine on the main roster. The examples of poor call-ups are plentiful to such an extent that it's easier to produce articles such as these on the ones that went well. Elias, Finn Bálor, Bayley and Sasha Banks all won their matches on the Christmas Day edition of Raw, but when it comes to replicating potential shown in Orlando, the latter trio aren't even in the same orbit as the strumming Superstar.

There's hope for Lars Sullivan in 2019 because he's absolutely massive, but also because he hasn't yet achieved all that much on the Full Sail shows. EC3 the same, for almost the exact same reasons. But sooner or later, the excitement generated at every single TakeOver special surely has to be replicated on Monday and Tuesday nights, right?

That's the hope of most fans anyway. NXT lost an air of hope early in 2017 as the realisation kicked in how few performers would have better days than the ones happening right now, but maybe the group's sophomore crew - these of five-star classics and "best show ever" pedigree - can break molds in the mainstream.

Stars, theoretically, are stars, and luckily for WWE, the Performance Center is over-stuffed with them...

Matt Riddle's entire NXT run should really be the short sharp shock his TakeOver: War Games II debut was.

The 'King Of Bros' blew through the affable Kassius Ohno in a match victorious as much for Triple H's anti-promotion of it was Riddle's exhilarating offensive flurry. 'The Game' had shrewdly taken the contest off the table earlier in the week, irritating many that were excited to see his supershow bow.

This fan-friendly bait-and-switch worked a charm in ensuring audiences weren't angered with the rapid-fire appearance, and also highlighted how happy they were just to even get a glimpse of the brand's possible next big thing.

A Riddle squash as a developmental curtain-jerker was a lot of fun. A Riddle squash as a main roster headliner could fundamentally change the game.

Nobody is set up to beat Brock Lesnar anymore, including the man that actually probably will in 2019. Braun Strowman has to topple 'The Beast' sooner or later just as Roman Reigns did back at SummerSlam, but like 'The Big Dog' the window of opportunity on actually utilising the result has already slammed shut.

This Riddle doesn't require a particularly complex solution. A "Bro!" and blow to Brock along with a flash Universal Title switch would be one of the most powerful put-over's in company history.