I think from this point on every year

[Instant Classic]

the Wrestlemania preshow should be an NXT match, maybe every time for the NXT Championship. Would be a great way to promote NXT and the wrestlers.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

If a wrestler were ready to perform at WrestleMania, they'd already be on the main roster.

[Instant Classic]

Dec 23, 2014 20:55:51 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

If a wrestler were ready to perform at WrestleMania, they'd already be on the main roster.

There's more than a handful who are ready. So I don't get your response.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

Dec 23, 2014 20:59:00 GMT -5 Instant Classic said:

Dec 23, 2014 20:55:51 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

If a wrestler were ready to perform at WrestleMania, they'd already be on the main roster.

There's more than a handful who are ready. So I don't get your response.

I know that quite a few are ready. But I'd rather see those outstanding talents called up and wrestling at Mania as "WWE Superstars". The "NXT 5" should be on the main roster already.

And even if the NXT wrestlers are talented and deserving, I don't like the stigma that it creates for others. As high quality as the NXT product is, it's still, for all intents and purposes, WWE's minor leagues, so I wouldn't like seeing certain guys being stigmatized as being "so shitty at wrestling that minor league guys were put on the Mania card before them". So if WWE wants to put a guy like Sami Zayn on the Mania card, I'd rather he be called up before they do so.

[Instant Classic]

Dec 23, 2014 21:01:48 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Dec 23, 2014 20:59:00 GMT -5 Instant Classic said:

There's more than a handful who are ready. So I don't get your response.

I know that quite a few are ready. But I'd rather see those outstanding talents called up and wrestling at Mania as "WWE Superstars". The "NXT 5" should be on the main roster already.

I see, but I think it'd be a pretty neat way to get some exposure out there and around March or whatever if they do a special Takeover they can have a match where someone wins an opportunity to face the NXT Champion on the Wrestlemania Preshow. Would be cool to see imo.

[Mayonnaise]

I've had the same thought since Mania week would be about the same time as the next NXT special. Hold off on the title match and have it be the pre-show match, but it is mainly because I'd love to see Owens/Zayn on that stage. Plus a few years later when they main event it would be a neat thing to track.

[Nickybojelais]

I'd go one further and have an NXT Championship match on the main Wrestlemania show.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Dec 23, 2014 21:08:21 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I've had the same thought since Mania week would be about the same time as the next NXT special. Hold off on the title match and have it be the pre-show match, but it is mainly because I'd love to see Owens/Zayn on that stage. Plus a few years later when they main event it would be a neat thing to track.

The problem with that is that it really is a no-win situation for the NXT guys.

They either give the match not nearly enough time or respect, and the idea falls flat. Or they absolutely deliver on that stage, and they upstage the actual product that's headlining the show.

Sure, an ideal situation is that the NXT pre-show match is great, and it motivates everyone else on the main show to top that. But I have a feeling it would come off more like R Evolution vs. TLCS, except even more blatant because it's in front of the same audience.

[Reflecto]

Dec 23, 2014 21:01:48 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Dec 23, 2014 20:59:00 GMT -5 Instant Classic said:

There's more than a handful who are ready. So I don't get your response.

I know that quite a few are ready. But I'd rather see those outstanding talents called up and wrestling at Mania as "WWE Superstars". The "NXT 5" should be on the main roster already.

And even if the NXT wrestlers are talented and deserving, I don't like the stigma that it creates for others. As high quality as the NXT product is, it's still, for all intents and purposes, WWE's minor leagues, so I wouldn't like seeing certain guys being stigmatized as being "so shitty at wrestling that minor league guys were put on the Mania card before them". So if WWE wants to put a guy like Sami Zayn on the Mania card, I'd rather he be called up before they do so.

Honestly, given how small the roster is right now, isn't there room for both?

I'm not saying to add an NXT Title match to the Wrestlemania card- that would be overkill. But at the same time, We have the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal now for Wrestlemania. The roster is small enough, between injury and regular matches, that there's about 19-20 men on the WWE roster who aren't likely to have a singles or tag team match on the card.

Assuming- which is likely, that the AtGBR is 30 men (and I'd be willing to bet on there being as many wrestlers as there are Wrestlemanias like a lot of older pre-show battle royals, so that projects it at a 31-man battle royal)- even if you give all the non-slam dunk guys a spot in the battle royal, counting the Ascension and even counting the "are they or aren't they" wrestler-commentator hybrids like Byron Saxton and Alex Riley- there's still about 5-6 spots open for NXT wrestlers to enter the Andre the Giant battle royal without taking any spots away from deserving WWE talent...and "NXT wrestlers enter the Andre the Giant Battle Royal" is more than reasonable for NXT's entrance into Wrestlemania.

[kidglov3s]

Doing this kind of negates the idea of NXT being developmental. WWE so far has been hesitant to take that step.

[Nic Nemeth]

Dec 23, 2014 21:26:06 GMT -5 Nickybojelais said:

I'd go one further and have an NXT Championship match on the main Wrestlemania show.

This.

Give the NXT guys a reason for making so much less money each year by working at Full Sail, cause the obvious tradeoff is fame.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

Dec 24, 2014 0:36:59 GMT -5 Oh Cry Me a Screwball said:

Dec 23, 2014 21:08:21 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I've had the same thought since Mania week would be about the same time as the next NXT special. Hold off on the title match and have it be the pre-show match, but it is mainly because I'd love to see Owens/Zayn on that stage. Plus a few years later when they main event it would be a neat thing to track.

The problem with that is that it really is a no-win situation for the NXT guys.

They either give the match not nearly enough time or respect, and the idea falls flat. Or they absolutely deliver on that stage, and they upstage the actual product that's headlining the show.

Sure, an ideal situation is that the NXT pre-show match is great, and it motivates everyone else on the main show to top that. But I have a feeling it would come off more like R Evolution vs. TLCS, except even more blatant because it's in front of the same audience.

A vain hope here, but maybe the minor leagues consistently upstaging the main roster might make them realise they need to change things and improve the main show.

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Dec 23, 2014 21:08:21 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I've had the same thought since Mania week would be about the same time as the next NXT special. Hold off on the title match and have it be the pre-show match, but it is mainly because I'd love to see Owens/Zayn on that stage. Plus a few years later when they main event it would be a neat thing to track.

Owens and Zayn's first Mania matches are against each other. They'd be trying their damnedest to hold back the tears. Hell they'd have to mute a moment when both guys are down and the mic picks up Sami saying "We're at f***ing Mania, facing each other. f***ing Mania, this is motherf***ing awesome!"