TREVOR: So with recent call up Sami Zayn to the main roster I find it hard pressed to get another male talent from NXT on the main roster, but stranger things have happened.
Like Gene I agree that Bayley could and should be the next call up from NXT however, don’t rule out Finn Balor or Samoa Joe. Now obviously both guys won’t be called up as one of them will be carrying the NXT title following NXT Takeover: Dallas, but a case could be made for either guy. If Finn drops the title to Joe at Takeover then they may feud for a month or so with a return match not too long off. If Finn retains the title at Takeover then you may see Samoa Joe take his talents to the main WWE roster. Both mean are absolutely deserving of a main roster call up. With Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson set to debut any day now either in NXT or on the main roster keeping Finn Balor with them is obvious. With AJ Styles already on the main roster we could see him and Samoa Joe put on some of those classics we’ve seen in the past.
My Dark Horse Pick: Baron Corbin… This is a guy who has done everything he needs to do in NXT, short of winning the title. He’s one of the longest tenured guys in that part of the company and could really step into his own with a call up.He’s a guy that could be the bad ass heel the WWE truly needs.
If the roster does get split once again you could see numerous NXT talents make their way to the main roster, but only time will tell.
JOEL: The Night after Wrestlemania is usually the show that sets the standard for how the year is going to play out. Debuts like that of Brock Lesnar happened the night after ‘Mania and hopefully this year, they’ll be able to use that platform with a hot crowd and more importantly, a smart crowd, to present new stars.
My first and immediate instinct if I’m “The Booker Man” to paraphrase the late, great Brian Pillman, is to debut The Balor Club in its entirety. I had entertained the idea that Shane McMahon enlists Finn Balor, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows to help him secure the win over the Undertaker. You immediately push that trio to the top of the card by costing an established star and arguably, one of the greatest of all time, a crucial match. Balor can work. Anderson can work. Gallows, for a big man, is a decent hand in the ring as well. I fully expect Balor to drop the NXT Title to Samoa Joe at NXT:Takeover Dallas, just because of how they’ve built Joe as it relates to the rematch. It won’t hurt Balor to lose the strap, especially with the reign he’s had. He can go right off that hot TV to hotter TV by bringing his boys for him. That trio, to me, makes the most sense of any of the debuts. It allows programs with AJ Styles, the former leader, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, many talents. If they don’t debut the Balor Club, they will have dropped the ball.
The second debut that needs to happen is Bayley. Asuka is certainly a talent that can take the women’s title from her in NXT and not cause her character any harm because she’s the real deal. Sasha Banks can come out and celebrate with the Divas title, which I expect her to win, or if Charlotte does retain, it’s an opportunity to insert another player into the fold and you’ve got all four horsewomen vying for the biggest prize in the women’s game. Bayley will draw money. She will sell shirts. She is John Cena. She is easily marketed and the kids love her. She can flat out work. I have seen Bayley wrestle matches that defy logic and the eye. Asuka will carry the title well in NXT and Bayley will ramp up an already stellar women’s division that has blossomed in recent months in the fed.
Enzo and Cass would be my third choice. Similar to Bayley, they are over like rover the moment they are called up. They sorely need tag teams at the moment with injuries and bad booking and they bring in another face team to work alongside and ultimately against teams like The New Day, The Dudleys and the Usos. They are entertaining and put on competitive matches, and I expect the Revival and American Alpha to feud for a while in NXT, leaving Enzo and Cass as the odd men out.
All of those debuts make sense and I suppose if I had to pick one or two wild card debuts, I would pick Baron Corbin or Apollo Crews. Corbin is very close to being ready to debut as a major heel. Crews needs to continue to establish his character so he doesn’t debut as just another nameless face. He’s too good for that. Either way, the Night after ‘Mania looks very promising and let’s hope that it’s indeed TOO SWEEEEEEEET!
GENE: I truly feel that the NXT call up debuting on the Monday Night Raw after Wrestlemania will be Bayley. NXT Takeover Dallas, which is Wrestlemania weekend, will see Bayley with her toughest challenge yet. She will be defending the NXT Women’s Championship against Asuka, which will likely be Bayley’s most physical and intense title defense to date. What better way to end her run in NXT as well as do the favors for a deserving athlete like Asuka then for Bayley to put her over at Takeover.
Another factor is that, of NXT’s “Four Horsewomen”, Bayley is the only one yet to be called up to the main Raw/Smackdown roster. Not only would she be a welcome fresh face in the Divas division, inspiring millions of young girls (who don’t watch NXT). She also would fit seamlessly into a role they’ve forced upon Becky Lynch since she got called up to the main roster, that of the naive neophyte that is now in the big leagues.
If Bayley is called up, let’s hope that creative does a good job for her as the writing for her fellow “Horsewomen” has not been consistently strong since they went up to the main roster.
