As is tradition for the time after WrestleMania, numerous NXT superstars have received the call-up to the main roster. I know that it’s still early in their main roster careers, but given that we’re two months into most of these runs, we can start grading their usage and performances so far. Here’s a quick look at how the new call-ups have fared on the main roster…so far.
No Way Jose – D
This was expected, unfortunately. I love No Way Jose. I think he’s a fun character and isn’t a half-bad wrestler. But the “Adam Rose 2.0” comparisons are becoming all too apparent. Jose has been stuck in a feud with Barron Corbin that seems to be going nowhere for either man. Jose hadn’t done much in NXT prior to his call-up, so expectations were at a minimum for his main roster career. Unfortunately, those low expectations haven’t been changed in his first two months on Raw.
Authors of Pain – C
When we’ve seen the Authors of Pain, they’ve looked great. The only problem, though, is that we’ve barely seen them on the Raw. After making their debut the night after WrestleMania, AOP has only wrestled one other match on Raw. They haven’t been on TV for three weeks, which is shocking given the perceived lack of viable tag teams on Raw. Maybe WWE is waiting for the right time to unleash the two big men, but as of now, this feels like a wasted opportunity to build-up two legit superstars.
SAnitY – Incomplete
Simply put, we haven’t seen Sanity on SmackDown Live yet. Multiple vignettes have run for the group, but we have yet to see them make an appearance. Maybe they show up after Money In The Bank?
They would seem like logical opponents for the Bludgeon Brothers at Summerslam, as most of the SmackDown tag team division has lost to the current tag team champs already. Not having Nikki Cross join them on the main roster is disappointing, but I am still looking for big things out of Eric Young, Killian Dain, and Alexander Wolfe when they do make their debut.
Andrade “Cien” Almas – B
Almas has only wrestled local jobbers to this point, which is fine. WWE is trying to establish his character that was so successful in NXT, and that takes time. It appears he’ll be heading into a feud with Sin Cara following their encounter on this past week’s SmackDown Live, so this may give Almas the chance to fully embrace the heel-side of his character. Having Zelina Vega by his side has done wonders for Almas, and I’m looking forward to him being in a title feud sometime in the fall.
Drew McIntyre – A
Admit it: you didn’t see this one coming. After tearing his bicep at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, the former NXT champion seemed poised to come back and regain his title once he was back to 100%. Instead, five months after the injury, McIntyre popped up with Dolph Ziggler during the “superstar shakeup” edition of Raw.
It was an awesome reveal by Ziggler, re-energizing his career while bringing McIntyre back to the main roster for the first time since 2014. McIntyre has looked dominant in his first month, picking up wins in tag team action over Titus Worldwide and in singles competition against Chad Gable. The sky is the limit for the former Intercontinental Champion.
Ember Moon – B+
Much like the Authors of Pain, Moon has looked great when she’s been featured on Raw. Unfortunately, her appearances haven’t been as consistent as many would’ve hoped for so far. While she has qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, she hasn’t been featured really since winning her qualifying matchup a few weeks ago.
Moon provides a different look and flavor to the women’s division on Raw, and I don’t feel like WWE has completely capitalized on it yet. She has an awesome theme song and a killer-looking finisher, giving her all the tools to be successful on the main roster.
The IIconics – C+
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce’s first night on the main roster was perfect. They took out Charlotte, leading to Carmella cashing in her Money in the Bank briefcase to become SmackDown Women’s Champion. Since then, though, the duo hasn’t done much on SmackDown. Neither qualified for the women’s MITB ladder match, and their win/loss record in the past two months hasn’t been great. WWE still has time to make these two a viable threat in the women’s division, but other than their opening night, they haven’t looked intimidating at all.