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NXT has arguably put out more consistently strong content than either of WWE's main roster shows over the last few years.
Obviously, Raw and Smackdown Live reach a much larger audience and generate more revenue for WWE than NXT, but the standard of matches that the developmental brand have produced has resulted in them often outshining the main roster pay-per-views on the biggest wrestling weekends of the year.
For the most part, everyone is presented as a star in NXT, yet when they are called up to the main roster their success is hit and miss. The likes of Neville and Tyler Breeze, or more recently The Revival and Bobby Roode, have been a shadow of the characters that they developed and got over in NXT.
While this is a valid point and Vince McMahon has rightly received some criticism for this, there are a number of examples of superstars that were small-part players in NXT yet have found success on the main roster, and for that, Vince deserves credit.
Here are 5 current WWE superstars that had a lacklustre run in NXT…
#1 Elias
Right now, Elias is one of Monday Night Raw's most popular acts, but his run in NXT was largely forgettable.
'The Drifter', known back then as Elias Samson, never really clicked with the Full Sail audience. While he regularly garnered a reaction, most notably drawing "drift away" chants, it could be argued that it wasn't the right kind of heat. Elias was often met with indifference in NXT as opposed to the welcoming reception he often receives on Raw.
But while he struggled down in Florida, Elias found almost instant success on the main roster. Roaming around in the background of Raw with his guitar already eclipsed anything he did in NXT, and when he started performing his songs he went from strength to strength and continued his meteoric rise.
NXT may not have been a happy home for 'The Drifter', but WWE most definitely stands for "Walk With Elias".
#2 Nia Jax
While Nia Jax is clearly a strong female character in more ways than one, her in-ring performances have often fallen short of portraying this persona.
This was never more evident than during her NXT run. Nia has always had a presence, but she floated around in NXT, either aligning with Eva Marie or losing matches to Bayley and Asuka. These high-profile losses hurt her credibility as a monster heel and only highlighted her weaknesses as a performer.
Rather surprisingly, Nia was called up to Raw as part of the 2016 WWE draft, in a move which many felt may have been premature. However, she has found success on the main roster and has arguably been booked and protected better by Vince than she was by Triple H in NXT.
Although, with that being said, Nia Jax is still a very inexperienced performer, which is evident in some of her matches. I still feel that she has a long way to go if she is to fulfil her potential in WWE. But then again, she is the current Raw Women's Champion, so what do I know?
#3 Alexa Bliss
There wasn't much expected of Alexa Bliss when she debuted on NXT in 2013. Beginning as a ring announcer before transitioning into a fairly bland baby face, Bliss was seen as an enhancement rather than a star during her initial NXT run.
It wasn't until she turned heel and aligned herself with Wesley Blake and her real-life boyfriend, Buddy Murphy, that Bliss began to show that she had something more to offer. But even at this stage, not many would have tipped 'Little Miss Bliss' for the success she has had on WWE's main roster.
After joining Smackdown Live in the 2016 WWE draft, Alexa exceeded expectations and made herself one of the blue brand's top female stars, capturing her first Women's championship just five months after her debut.
Since then, 'The Goddess' hasn't looked back and continues to be an asset to the WWE. Alexa Bliss has proven to be one of the best talkers in the entire Women's division and is already a 4-time Women's champion having won the belt on both Raw and Smackdown.
#4 - Xavier Woods
Xavier Woods arrived in WWE with a credible background after his run in TNA as Consequences Creed. However, he was never given anything to really sink his teeth into during his NXT run and was restricted to a number of intermittent, uninspiring appearances in his 12 months with the brand.
This was followed by a lacklustre main roster debut where Woods would form a tag team with R-Truth. This angle never went anywhere for either man and after failing to make an impact on the roster during is first six months or so, you'd be forgiven for fearing the worst for Woods.
Enter the New Day.
Forming a stable with Big E and Kofi Kingston undeniably saved Xavier Woods' WWE career and allowed him to showcase his undoubted charisma. As a unit, the three men have become one of WWE's most marketable acts and have achieved high levels of success along the way, most notably holding the record for the longest tag team championship reign in WWE history.
Woods is still a valuable member of the roster to this day, perhaps more now than ever after recently being given the opportunity to display his distinguished in-ring skills, something he doesn't always get credit for.
#5 - Carmella
After making her NXT debut in a backstage segment as a hairdresser with Enzo & Cass, Carmella would end up aligning with the duo and becoming a regular on-screen talent. Despite being associated with one of NXT's most popular acts at the time, Carmella was often booed by the Full Sail crowd and it took her a while to win them over.
The NXT faithful did eventually accept Carmella, but when she was separated from Enzo & Cass after the duo's main roster call-up, there were doubts as to whether she had enough to survive on her own. An underwhelming singles run in NXT followed until her own promotion to Smackdown Live in 2016.
While there were still question marks surrounding her overall ability, Carmella did make an impact fairly quickly on Smackdown during a feud with Nikki Bella. She would follow this up by aligning with James Ellsworth and it was this storyline that really allowed her to shine, on the mic rather than in the ring, but it did lead to Carmella winning the first ever Women's Money In The Bank match.
Carmella would successfully cash-in this Money In The Bank opportunity in April 2018 to become Smackdown Women's Champion, a feat which many doubted she would ever achieve. It has to be said that Carmella's in-ring ability still leaves much to be desired, but promo-wise, she has been excellent and is thriving in the Smackdown Live Women's title picture.
