Saturday, January 26, 2013

Which NXT Superstar is Ready to Rumble?


   The Royal Rumble is quickly approaching Sunday, and one NXT superstar will be guaranteed a spot in it, by winning the 8-man tournament. NXT stars have been making a huge impact on the main roster of late with, The Shield exploding on the scene seeking “justice”, and Big E. Langston as AJ Lee’s bodyguard. This is a chance for another promising star from developmental talent to make its mark on the main roster, and even possibly headline WrestleMania.
   The participants are Corey Graves, Oliver Grey, Xavier WoodsConor O'Brien, Bo Dallas, Luke Harper, Adrian Neville, and Leo Kruger. All of the participants bring some different characteristics to the table and any of them are quite capable of coming out on top of the tournament.
   O’Brien was one half of the tag team, The Ascension. The tag team fell apart after his partner, Kenneth Cameron’s release last year. O’Brien’s success has been mostly with the Ascension. He’s been rather quite since the split. I don’t see him as a serious threat to winning the tournament.
   
Leo Kruger

Kruger is boring to me. Not much on the mic, solid in the ring but not  nescesarily
entertaining. Him and Harper have that same kind of weird persona , out to cause pain gimmick. Harper is a much better wrestler so that leaves Kruger in the shadows. He’s the only participant that I questioned even being in the tournament.
Corey Graves

   At the last NXT taping I attended Graves and Grey actually wrestled each other in somewhat of a sloppy match. Graves has been making a buzz since coming into NXT as the Savior of Misbehavior. There isn’t a superstar on the roster with a character like his, and I do like him, but I don’t think his skills are up to the main roster level yet.
Adrian Neville

   Out of all the competitors, Neville is the one I know the least firsthand about. He’s trained all around world. He’s diverse in styles and very quick. Debuting just weeks ago on NXT I don’t see him winning the tournament but I am eager to see his career form in NXT.  This week’s show he and Grey formed a tag team that beat Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre to advance to the finals of tag tournament for the new NXT tag belts.
Luke Harper

   Harper is by the largest at 6’6, 262 pounds, His presence in the ring is astounding. I watched him demolish Mike Dalton in a few quick minutes a few months back and was impressed. Harper is half of the tag team, The Wyatt Family, along with Erick Rowan, which may win the tag belts. I don’t see any of the 3 stars involved in  the tag team finals to win this singles tournament.
 Xavier Woods

  Woods has the most energy of all entrants, and by far the most entertaining. He’s good on the mic and solid in the ring.  He wrestled for TNA as Consequences Creed and was a two-time tag team champion during his time there. I loved his run as tag team champ with Jay Lethal, forming one of my favorite tag teams in TNA history, Lethal Consequences. It could quite be his time to shine in WWE.
 Bo Dallas

   Dallas is also a prominent contender to win the tournament. The son of Mike Rotunda, he has wrestling in his blood. He’s a 3-time FCW champion and 2-time FCW tag champion. He’s only 23 and been in developmental since 2008. There’s a big bright future for Dallas. His mic skills are competent. I witnessed him wrestle Jinder Mahal a few months back and was astounded by his skills. He’s a natural.
   Who do I think will win? It’s a close call between Woods and Dallas. Both are deserving of a main roster spot. I am a huge fan of Woods so I am pulling for him. I eagerly await to see who gets this major push to the Royal Rumble. Regardless of who wins it’s a chance for 8 NXT superstars to shine in the spotlight. Good luck to all.

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