The Next Big NXT Superstars

NXT is an amazing place. It's grown in popularity a tremendous amount, but it's still not that popular when compared to WWE's main roster shows. Still, everyone who has given NXT a chance prefers it over WWE, because they put on consistently compelling shows, and their special events are always off the chain. With that, NXT has evolved into something different. They've found success in taking stars from other places and transitioning them into immediate stars in NXT. Don't get me wrong, Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe, and Shinsuke Nakamura are all admittedly awesome, but I kind of miss the days of WWE slowly building up new superstars. Luckily, there is some serious promise on the way.

With NXT traveling around the world, the house shows that I go to in Florida occasionally lack the top notch talent that everyone knows. At first, it is a bit of a bummer, but there are still a few wrestlers who truly stand out (and Tye Dillinger is there, so that always helps) and make it easy to see their potential. That's why I'm going to give you the inside scoop on the next big superstars in the WWE. I'm pretty sure none of these wrestlers have been on TV, but all of them are super awesome. And since I am a man of equality, I found a women's, men's, and tag team wrestlers that are about to break out in a big way.

Adrienne Reese
Since I'm a gentleman, I'll go ladies first. Reese is a spit-fire who is solid all around in the ring. I've gotten to watch three matches with her. She was good in one and great in two others. The most recent one against Peyton Royce was the best I had seen from either one. Her in-ring work is there, and she seems to be progressing in her in-ring charisma. But what is really going to make her a star is her finish. I mean, the Stone Cold Stunner was sweet, but Reese jumps off the top rope, and does a flip into a Stunner. It is totally sweet, and people are going to freak out about how awesome she is. Get on the bandwagon now.

Mikey Nicholls and Shane Haste
These Australians made a name for themselves in Japan as TMDK (The Mighty Don't Kneel), and although I had heard about them, I had never actually seen any of their matches before seeing them at a couple NXT house shows. They're awesome, as Nicholls is one of the most charismatic performers I have seen. He's complimented by his tag team partner who is also very good in the ring. Both matches I have seen had Nicholls being the primary wrestler, so I have only seen a limited amount of Haste. But they're a very entertaining team, and they wrestle with personalities, as opposed to wrestling, with personality thrown in between moves. It makes a huge difference. And they even passed my wife's test as they instantly became her favorite tag team after one match. The only issue they are going to have is being white guys, because that means they will get USA chants anytime they face off against a foreign tag team, despite also being a foreign tag team, and yes, I did see this happen already.

Manny Andrade
Although he hasn't gotten the hype of some other WWE signings, Andrade has torn it up internationally as La Sombra, and it's clear that he has everything necessary to succeed in the ring. I've seen Andrade in two singles matches, and they are two of the best matches I have seen at any NXT house show. In the match I saw last week, Andrade took on Tye Dillinger in the main event, and they tore it up. It was a super fun back-and-forth match where there were a ton of near finishes because both guys just kept doing awesome things. It ended with Dillinger getting a rollup with handful of tights for the win, but both guys got a standing ovation at the end of the night. The other match was the best NXT house show I have ever seen against Sami Zayn, and you can read about that one here. My only real concern with him is that they are dressing him up with no shirt, suspenders, and a goofy hat which makes him look like a bad guy, but he wrestles best as a babyface. The guy has everything you need in the ring, so learning English is the only thing that will slow him down from becoming a huge superstar.

Sami Zayn Is The Perfect Professional Wrestler

I went to NXT in Largo at The Minnreg Hall this past weekend, and this was probably the strongest NXT house show that I have seen. They put a lot of top level talent out there like American Alpha, The Vaudevillians, and Bayley, while complementing it with some hilarious talent like Alex Riley, Angelo Dawkins, and Patrick from Tough Enough. But most importantly, it included Sami Zayn, and his match against Manny Andrade, more than any other, showed why Zayn is the perfect professional wrestler.

Now I guess that before I start talking about Zayn, I should probably let you know who Manny Andrade is. Right now, he's a nobody, because I don't think he's been on television before, but he is, like many, a guy who tore it up in smaller organizations (as La Sombra) before moving on to developmental, and seeing him go against Zayn made me feel very good about his future. That being said, I saw him once earlier and thought very little of him besides him laying in the ropes once and looking like a "cool guy."

But Sami Zayn vs. Manny Andrade showed me that Sami Zayn is the best professional wrestler for so many reasons. When I saw Manny Andrade come out, I started to hypothesize who would dominate him in the upcoming match. I was guessing Baron Corbin or maybe even Apollo Crews, but when Sami's music hit, the entire crowd erupted in cheers. There is no question that Sami Zayn is the most beloved NXT Superstar out there, and the whole crowd immediately perks up with happiness and sings along with his song making it an incredibly positive place to be. My wife isn't a huge wrestling fan, and had really only seen parts of his matches on NXT, but just watching his entrance and his interaction with fans made her remark, "He seems nice. I'd like to hang out and have a beer with him." And here's the thing: Obviously I would want to go, but if my wife said that she was going out for drinks with Sami Zayn without me, I'd be totally fine with it. I mean, I'd be jealous, but I wouldn't worry about any funny stuff going on.

So I got prepared for a squash match where Sami Zayn would dominate this little known wrestler. It was not that. With other top wrestlers like Finn Balor or Apollo Crews, you always kind of know that they will prevail, but with Zayn, it's different. He doesn't always win, so there is always that small sense of doubt that he might not pull it out. It adds so much drama and excitement to his matches that other top stars simply can't match. He's in that sweet spot where you'll believe he can beat anybody, while simultaneously believing he could lose to anybody.

And this match was incredible. Had I gone to four hours worth of NXT tapings, this could have easily stolen the show, and I would have felt lucky to have seen it. The fact that I saw this at an NXT house show at a place that is basically the size of an elementary school gym made it all that more amazing. There were 4-5 times where I could have seen the match ending, only to have it continue with just a split second before the three count. I mean, sure Sami Zayn was 99.9% going to win, but it was just a house show, so maybe he could take a loss? With other top guys, you don't get that feeling; you know they'll win. Sami Zayn is different, and it makes it so much better.

And yes, Sami Zayn did end up hitting the Helluva Kick for the win. But I was on the edge of my seat (which I guess would be on my toes, since I was standing) the entire match. That is why Sami Zayn is the perfect professional wrestler.