7 WWE Acts That Peaked In NXT

It’s so obvious that it’s a wonder no one ever thought of it before: an evil Derek Zoolander! Tyler Breeze hit pay-dirt with his arrogant male model gimmick, becoming a mainstay at the top of NXT during one of its hottest periods. The pretty boy thing had been done before, but Breeze updated it for the 21st century; snapping on selfie-sticks and singing his own entrance theme (topping the charts in Europe we’re told), Breeze merged the male model with the self-obsessed celebrity of the social media age. He could be relied upon for an entertaining segment, an amusing put-down (Hideous Hideo and the Man who Maybelline Forgot are my personal favourites), and always carried his end of a good match.

As one of NXT’s most popular acts, his call-up was hotly anticipated and initially it seemed like he was set up to succeed. They paired him up with Summer Rae and gave him a grand introduction on Raw, but after a couple of weeks something changed as creative seemed to lose faith in Prince Pretty.

After trading wins with Dolph Ziggler, Breeze was split from Summer and dropped to the undercard. He now wrestled in a comedy tag team with fellow underused talent Fandango. What success Breeze had on NXT was heavily tied to his gimmick (he languished for years as the forgettable Matt Dalton), so it’s tough to see how he can ever regain the momentum needed to get back to the main event.