How Vince McMahon Perceives Every NXT Superstar

I’m taking over now, pal!

by Michael Sidgwick
Velveteen Dream Vince McMahon
WWE

We’re already grimly aware of how Vince McMahon perceives the NXT “stars” that have already been “promoted” to the main roster; reductively, and any deeper analysis just brings forth another wave of nihilism, Vince McMahon perceives them as bodies to steal from the Independent circuit and position on television with no continuity nor conviction.

Finn Bálor is marketable but frail, and that means he goes 2-2, 50/50, with Constable Corbin in a feud nobody asked for to begin with, and a feud that didn’t even end. Asuka has more personality than most of the roster, but the easy formula and general ineptitude of the TV process means it cannot be exploited, so just have a random fellow babyface express confusion at her whacky attempts to understand English instead.

Remember 2015, the first TakeOver: Brooklyn, and all the optimism for the “Future” that came with it?

Forget it!

Bayley’s a geek, Sasha Banks can’t decide whether she likes her or not, Kevin Owens is a puppet, Bálor is a smiling buffoon, Samoa Joe is amazing, admittedly, but the worst performer on the entire show, Baron Corbin, talks more on RAW than Michael Cole in 2018, Apollo Crews is a non-entity, Tye Dillinger is a non-entity, and Justin ‘Thunder’ Liger fared better in WWE than Tyler Breeze by virtue of never wrestling there again. But thanks for the memories.

Vince just perceives these performers as filler.

But the current Class…?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!