Former WWE coach Scotty 2 Hotty worked closely with many of NXT’s renowned competitors, so he has a distinct perspective on the challenges superstars face when they move to RAW or SmackDown.
During an appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, the former WWE Tag Team Champion spoke of the creative spark performers enjoyed when they worked with Triple H. By contrast, he noted that this creativity seemed to fade from the superstars once they joined the main roster.
Like many fans, Scotty 2 Hotty saw the writing on the wall for a lot of Triple H’s hand-picked stars once they left NXT.
EC3, Lars Sullivan and Tyler Breeze are just a few examples, among many others, of NXT standouts who struggled on the main roster. Based on this pattern, many hardcore fans of NXT have come to expect most call-ups to fail
Karrion Kross is one of Triple H’s top NXT stars who fell flat on the main roster
Karrion Kross dominated the black-and-gold brand throughout his time in NXT. When he won the NXT Championship, it looked like Triple H found a star who had it all. His great physique and intimidating presence made him stand out, and he seemed destined for greatness.
But like many other NXT greats, Kross’ debut on the main roster set him up to fail from the start. He shockingly lost his first match to Jeff Hardy, and WWE subsequently repackaged him with a new look that was universally panned.
While some NXT stars have found success on the main roster, the trend of seeing call-ups crash and burn on RAW or SmackDown remains a point of universal criticism.
Are superstars doomed to fail once they are called up from NXT? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below
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