5 WWE NXT Rookies Who Needed The Modern Format
2. Justin Gabriel
The first season of NXT was unequivocally the best, and the results are in the longevity of the rookies who took part. It started with eight, and to this day only two are no longer with the WWE. One of these isn’t too surprising, as Michael Tarver didn’t seem to offer more than a genuinely intimidating presence. The second is definitely a surprise. Outside of Daniel Bryan, Justin Gabriel seemed the most likely to find himself positioned well on WWE programming in years to come. It never really came together for the South African, and he subsequently asked for his release earlier this year.
Gabriel is different to the other names on this list. All eight season one rookies came up to the main roster almost immediately as The Nexus, which started out immensely strong but was buried under chairs and John Cena. The group were a heel gang of sorts, who would attack anyone and everyone that stood in their way. Justin Gabriel just never seemed to fit into this though, with his high flying offence and clear babyface demeanour.
One problem with Gabriel was that his character never expanded beyond ‘he’s from South Africa and he likes adrenaline sports and something about a werewolf’. As with Kaval, a more traditional wrestling show format would have benefited Gabriel and his relationship with the WWE Universe.