5 WWE NXT Rookies Who Needed The Modern Format
3. Maxine
The third season of NXT is only really remembered because of CM Punk’s commentary, which says a lot about the quality of the show itself. The first all-Diva season, from start to finish it was an absolute shambles. Sure, two Divas champions (AJ Lee & Kaitlyn) came out of the show, but without doing the research for this column I pretty much forgot who took part and how. One of the divas who did take part however was Maxine, and she had the peculiar spot of being a heel on what was essentially a popularity contest.
This obviously didn’t go so well for Maxine, and she was voted off fairly quickly. She would return in NXT Season Five, the seemingly neverending season which wasn’t sure if it was a game show or a TV show, and she was without doubt one of the highlights in her love rectangle with Kaitlyn, Derrick Bateman and Johnny Curtis. Maxine now performs in Lucha Underground as Catrina, who may or may not be a teleporting ghost that happens to lick the victims of her client, Mil Muertes. That show is awesome.
WWE’s only real main roster diva characteristic seems to be ‘crazy’, but on season five Maxine showed that she had the character chops to shine regardless of the material she was given with. There is something about her that makes her stand out from the other women on wrestling television, a presence and poise that the Divas division sorely lacks. The success of Lana as Rusev’s manager showed that there still exists a place for female seconds, and being introduced via a wrestling show might have seen Maxine held in the same sort of regard. Contrary to Lana, Maxine also made a love rectangle storyline work, which is an achievement in itself.