All 21 NXT-To-WWE Call-Ups - Ranked From Worst to Best
18. Emma
Like a lot of performers on this list, the appeal of Emma’s original NXT persona is difficult to explain in a few words.
She was a spacey, bad-dancing lady who loved puns and soap bubbles but was secretly a very competent wrestler capable of stretching you to death. There’s no elevator pitch for that character, so WWE went with “Lady Santino”.
She even got to make her first appearance as a spectator, just like her will-they-won't-they tag partner. She got a pink sock puppet that made her arm look like Birdo from Super Mario Bros. 2, and then they set to work having the same mixed tag against Fandango and Summer Rae 600 weeks in a row.
It all turned out okay for Emma in the end: she returned to NXT, became a nihilist aviatrix and traded in Santino for the glorious She-Hulk/Miss Piggy hybrid that is Dana Brooke.
If I ever do a list of people who truly benefited from a return to developmental, Emma’s right there at the top of the list along with Tyson Kidd.