5 Ups & 2 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Mar 28)

2. A Top 1% Debut

First introduced during the TakeOver: Philadelphia broadcast, former TNA Heavyweight Champion EC3 made his debut proper last night, arriving during William Regal's big North American Championship arrival.

Unsurprisingly, the grappler formerly known as Derrick Bateman came off like a million dollars. The man exudes star power. He carries himself like the most important person in the building, and after swaggering his way down to the ring, EC3 was quick to get on the microphone.

Calling himself "the best guy here, the best guy there, the best guy anywhere, and a veritable money-printing machine," he went all in, and assumed Regal would hand him the North American belt. He soon learned that this wasn't the case (ladder match, baby), but thanked the General Manager regardless, then told him to line up as many foes as he wants, because he'll "prove why he is the top 1%" at TakeOver.

It was a strong segment from somebody destined for a big developmental push. He might not be the most exciting wrestler in the world (EC3 is solid between the ropes, but a notch or two below NXT's top-level working standard), but he's a tremendous character. His charisma is palpable, his personality undeniable, and his presentation sublime. Get ready for a monster push.