5 WWE Stars Likely to Move to NXT after SummerSlam
Dolph Ziggler
Kick starting things off today is an obvious pick but one we had to mention. Dolph Ziggler is a name that has constantly been brought up in the past when in discussion about which WWE superstars should take a move down to NXT. In the past I may have written other posts where I have spoken Ziggler and why I believe he should start working as part of the NXT roster and if I have written such post that would have gone up at least two years ago and so it's most certainly safe to say that Ziggler is a man that we have been talking about moving for for quite some time and the opinions haven't really changed. Now, I have written about Ziggler plenty of times before and if you have been reading my blog or have followed me for long enough you will know all too well that while I'm far from his biggest fan Dolph Ziggler is someone I will most certainly admit that over and over again that he is a brilliant in ring talent. Throughout his WWE career Ziggler has been apart of some amazing matches against a variety of different opponents. He's also been apart of decent feuds and epic moments like that Money in the bank cash in a few years back. Ziggler has time and time again proven to be a fan favourite and proved to the world that he is worthy of being a main event talent several times over. However, the WWE hasn't seen what its audience has in the past and we sit here now in twenty seventeen in the same position. Ziggler is a great in ring talent, we all know that but it's everything else thats been lacking. While he has been apart of his fair share of decent feuds none have really kept me hooked and I've found myself totally invested in. Apart from his more recent work with the Miz which we saw take place last year I haven't actually enjoyed many of his feuds because of the poor storytelling, weak promos and segments and Ziggler's lack of charisma. I've said before but his mic work has never been something I've enjoyed and I've never truly been fully invested in his character. When you take a look at the current state of both the RAW and Smackdown LIVE rosters the talent is crazy and while Ziggler will always remain one of the best in ring workers he's falling behind massively and there are more and more talents taking his space at the top and pushing him aside completely. Now, if the WWE were able to find the right opponent for him Dolph could be killing it every week but the fact of the matter is is that there simply are bigger and in the WWE's eyes better names they would much rather push and give the opportunity to and it's become clear that weather he is apart of RAW or Smackdown Ziggler isn't going to get an further than a mid card spot and there isn't really a place for him. So what do we do? Well its obvious, he moves to NXT. This is a place that has been calling his name for years and its time. He could so easily follow in the footsteps of Tyson Kidd who completely turned things around for himself or even Cesaro. Ziggler is a veteran in this business and pitting him against some of the young up and comers down there would be brilliant. Working as either the cocky veteran heel who's simply frustrated at the younger new toys taking his spot despite him believing he is better than them all or the baby face we love, Ziggler has the potential to be huge in NXT not only putting over new talent but re-establishing himself. Trying out new things, feuding with the likes or Eric Young and Drew McIntyre and colliding in epic matches against names such as Aliester Black and Roderick strong, NXT is exactly what Ziggler needs and Ziggler just happens to be exactly what NXT needs.
Aiden English
It pains me that I have to add this next name to my list today but he really does need a place on it and we have to talk about him in more detail. Anyone that comes from NXT is a superstar I'm going to fully back and have a special connection with because of watching them grow and develop from their days in developmental all the way to their time up to the main roster. Aiden English is one of the NXT graduates I have had an opinion on from day one and that hasn't changed over the years at all. When I first started paying proper attention to NXT Aiden English was one of the names that was constantly on my TV screen. He's work with Enzo and Cass was some of the first NXT matches/feuds I saw and paid actual attention to and straight away I was interested in English's character and knew he had it in him to create some really cool matches. His mic work proved to be more than decent and his character worked one hundred percent. The more I watched him the more of a fan I became and matches like his singles bout against Sheamus on an episode of NXT and several matches during his tag team run with Simon Gotch really do standout to me and highlighted English as an amazing in ring talent. I actually remember not being the happiest person in the world when it came to English working as part of a tag team but of course in the end I totally fell in love with the idea. While I enjoyed his work from the matches to the feuds/storylines the longer the pair were down in NXT the more began to realize that this may not be a character the works up on the main roster. Once the Vaudevillians were called up it was made so clear that this was just not going to work on the bigger stage. This isn't the first time we've seen something like this happen. Time and time again we see these brilliant characters that work down in NXT but just isn't something that translates well up on the main roster and unfortunately Aiden English has fallen victim to this. So many have forgotten and more don't even know what exactly he is capable of doing in the ring and how far he's character can go and while he has a tiny amount of momentum on his side right now the WWE don't show any signs in giving him a push any time soon. It sucks having to take an NXT graduate back to NXT but honestly, it is so clearly the right move for him. There he can have the time to compete against a number of different opponents that could really showcase English's in ring skills. It also gives him the time to build an even bigger following which hopefully will help him in the long run.
Curt Hawkins
My next entry will come as no surprise! Since returning to the WWE last year Curt Hawkins hasn't done anything worth noting. When the news broke that Hawkins would be making a return to the company I didn't really know what to think. I hadn't kept up to date with his work during his time away from the WWE and I never was his biggest during his first run. I wasn't expecting him to come back and receive a big main event push. While Smackdown LIVE did need more faces on its roster Hawkins wasn't someone I believed could bring to the show what it was missing and my expectations were pretty low. However, that being said I wasn't expecting him to have as bad of a time as he has had. As predicted he was never booked in any big time matches, he's win/loss record was a joke and the WWE never made the effort to put anything into his character. Talking of the character, I'll be honest I actually felt and do still feel as though it has some potential. Upon his return he needed to come back with something new and while this wasn't the best it had potential and if they had just put more time and effort into Hawkins and building/developing he's new character then it could have gotten over to some degree and he could have come across as a good solid heel. When he moved over to Monday night RAW during the superstar shakeup a few months back things didn't improve what so ever, in fact they've only gotten worse. He's become the ultimate jobber, thrown into any match to put over any superstar. He's been first pick when it comes to choosing a star to give another up and comer momentum such as the likes of Jason Jordan on episode of Monday night RAW and Aliester Black on an episode of main event and we are constantly superstars such as Elias Samson getting opportunities bigger than Hawkins could even imagine. Now, it doesn't matter who moves or who gets called up after SummerSlam, things will remain the same for Hawkins. The WWE clearly have zero intentions on pushing Hawkins on the main roster and there really is nothing for him right now on both RAW and Smackdown and so the next best both without a shadow of a doubt is to move him over to NXT. His character is exactly the type of thing that works down there and he's far far far more likely to get over with the NXT universe. I strongly believe he could also prove himself massively in the ring and show us all just how good of an in ring performer he is. There's so much talent on the NXT roster and honestly do believe that he could fit in perfectly and find himself competing in strong matches and developing his character massively.
Alicia Fox
Honestly, the next superstar I'm going to be talking about today is one I wasn't sure weather or not to include in this post. Alicia Fox is a name that will go down as one of the most underrated talents in the WWE. Over the years I have spent a lot of time talking about Foxy here on my blog and highlighting her as one f the most underrated and underutilized superstars in the company's history. While I don't believe she is the best women's wrestler in the world I strongly believe she deserves far more credit and certainly does not get the time and opportunities to show just what she is capable of. When it comes to the superstar shake up and the rumors surrounding a second one Fox's name is one I have seen pop up a few times. Some feel as though she should make the move from Monday night RAW to Smackdown LIVE and some believe the best thing for her is to head off to do some work as part of the NXT roster. Personally, I'm a little conflicted. I do feel as though she would be a brilliant part of the SD LIVE roster and the blue brand would allow her to get a spotlight that she hasn't had before or at least in a long time. We're likely to see more of her and the opportunities are most certainly likely to be better and stronger. However, there is an even bigger part of me that really does believe NXT is where Alicia Fox will shine the most. Now, there are other female superstars I believe should head on back to NXT, Dana Brooke coming to mind before anyone, however, it does look as though there are plans being made for her possibly joining the Titus Brand which I can see working out if done correctly, while Foxy has once again been left on the shelf. Just like everyone else on this list I strongly believe that Fox will benefit so much more from working as part of the NXT roster than switching brands (for now). With more women making their way to the WWE being apart of NXT will give Alicia the chance to compete against the up and coming stars, putting them over while also competing in far longer matches which effectively will have us all seeing more of her in ring work and Foxy having the opportunity to show us all what she really can do. We have already seen the likes of Natalya and Mickie James compete in matches over in NXT that have reminded us all just how amazing they are as in ring performers and I really do feel as thought Foxy's name should be added to that list.
Luke Harper
And finally we have the superstar I'm most passionate talking about in this post, Luke Harper. Again, like a lot of the names I have spoken about today, Harper is someone that since I started my blog I have written a heck of a lot about. He has featured in several how I would book posts and has been in so many previous lists articles not to mention how highly I have spoken about him in reviews over the years. He's someone that I have said time and time again is a big personal favourite of mine and if you have been reading my blog or following me on twitter for long enough you will know just how obsessed I actually am with him. Harper is also someone I used to watch a lot of before he even got to the WWE. His work as Broodie Lee was fantastic and when I go back and re-watch that stuff it makes me so angry and sad to just how much the WWE have wasted such a brilliant talent. Since being apart of the WWE Harper has his standout moments, lets not forget that. His best work by far came from the stuff we saw while he and Erick Rowan had a strong tag team run. I have mentioned in the past that I feel the WWE really messed up with these two and I still to this day have no idea why they didn't push these two to the stars and have them as the biggest tag team on the roster, they do easily could have been one of the best tag teams of this generation and when I think about the magic we could have seen go down between them and the likes of the Revival, the Hardys, and DIY for example, I could actually cry. Harper as a singles competitor has always had so much potential and anyone that has seen his work outside of the WWE know all too well that he could very easily be a big main event talent if they just invested enough time and effort into him. Earlier this year there were little hints that the WWE may be giving Harper a push but its something that has since seemed to have been dropped despite it being the right move, a great idea and Harper actually being over. Since then we just haven't really seen him at all on TV and his name has recently been one to pop up in regards to the up and coming superstar shakeup. Again, as we just cussed with Alicia Fox, moving to RAW may be a good option however only if the WWE are planning on pushing this guy to the bloody stars which I doubt. However, moving to NXT may just be the best thing to happen to Harper. This is a roster full of the likes of Bobby Roode, Aliester Black, Drew McIntyre, and Eric Young to name a few. This where we could see the best and most of Harper's character, where he can test and try things out and compete against huge names in matches that will have us believing Harper is one of the best wrestlers in the world. Out of everyone I have spoken about today in this post Harper is the man I am most excited about the idea of moving to NXT and the dream matches there are endless not to mention I would pay serious money to see Harper VS McIntyre for the NXT championship!
And thats it for today! Like I said in the intro, we have no idea if another superstar shake up is even set to take place yet but if does and we do see stars move to NXT than these names and a few others are some I really would like to see join the roster and bring something new and exciting to NXT while also helping their own careers. Of course, any recent blog posts will be linked bellow and you can let me know what you thought of today's blog post and who you think could be heading to NXT or switch brands after SummerSlam by leaving a comment bellow or by dropping me a tweet over at @TezangiVictoria. Right! lets get into the post!
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