5 Most Notable NXT Alumni (Who Never Had A TakeOver Match)

NXT has undoubtedly been the best thing under the WWE umbrella for some time now. Since its debut in 2012, it has consistently garnered acclaim for the quality of its wrestling and storytelling, though many fans are only now experiencing it for the first time following the moving of its weekly show to the USA network and the inclusion of its performers on this year’s Survivor Series card.

The cornerstone of NXT are its TakeOver events. Just 4-5 are held per year, usually with five matches per card. This ‘less-is-more’ approach makes every bout mean something and as a result, every single event from Arrival in 2014 to last week’s third WarGames iteration has been well-received. This is something of an incredible accomplishment given that the company often struggles to put on two great ‘main roster’ events in a row – 28 would be unfathomable!

Now that the majority of the WWE roster (64/109 of Raw and SmackDown’s current ranks) have come through the NXT system, almost everybody has had a taste of the TakeOver spotlight over the last six years, with 98 different performers (active and alumni) in total having performed at least at one event.

There are a handful of exceptions, however. Here are five (technically eight) of the most notable, excluding those that graduated from NXT in 2012/13 before TakeOvers became a thing, such as Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Rusev and Big E.

The majority of NXT call-ups are calculated affairs. The wrestler or wrestlers being promoted typically wrap up their ongoing storyline and have a send-off match either on television or at a TakeOver, more often than not putting over the next talent in line.

Some come completely out of the blue, however, usually when an influx of new bodies are needed for an upcoming programme. The announcement of the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match presumably led to the realisation that there were nowhere near the requisite amount of female performers on the roster and five were hastily drafted in. Just one of these, Ruby Riott, had ever had a TakeOver match, whilst Mandy Rose and Sarah Logan hadn’t appeared on NXT outside of a few throwaway appearances. Liv Morgan and Sonya Deville, meanwhile, were just in the throes of establishing themselves on the brand after a handful of appearances as enhancement talent.

Shoehorned into stables - the Riott Squad for Morgan and Absolution for Deville - the pair probably could’ve used some extra time in Florida to get experience of longer storyline programmes and pay-per-view events. Both have been floundering for some time now, Deville less so than Morgan given that she actually appears on television from time to time. Now that NXT is held in the same regard as Raw and SmackDown, could a move back and an eventual TakeOver spotlight for either be on the cards?