Ever since NXT stopped being the name of the ridiculous reality show for WWE rookies and started being the most successful developmental territory in WWE’s history, it’s built itself around many a unique talent. And several names of NXT’s past and present have gone down as icons of the black and yellow brand. The likes of Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Bo Dallas, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa, Adam Cole, The Revival, American Alpha, Paige, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Asuka, Bayley and so on and so forth… their legacies forever entwined with NXT.
But as always in wrestling, for every major name, there are many more minor ones that helped get them there. And as usual, there are the underlooked and underappreciated out there… the folks who may not be as heralded for their time in NXT when all things are said and done, but were an instrumental part of building it’s identity. Those are the competitors who I wish to highlight in this article, without whom, NXT may never have reached the heights of today.
#5 – Tye Dillinger
The Perfect 10 comes in at #5 for me. He was a cult favorite, even on WWE’s then-cult show. No matter where he went or what he did in WWE, it seemed like the higher ups view of him never changed. He wasn’t there to be a star, he wasn’t there to get over… Hell, it seemed he wasn’t even there to make TV. Tye Dillinger existed to be a utility guy, a glorified enhancement talent. A good hand, so to speak, whose veteran expertise would help out the green newcomers who he was tasked to work with… and job to.
Ultimately Tye just seemed without the political backing to go very far. But he never lost the drive to become something more. This was shown in the gimmick he made for himself, the Perfect 10, which was born out of spite for the low grades he was given by NXT’s trainers. It was a struggle to even be allowed to use this gimmick until Matt Bloom took over as head trainer and gave him the go ahead. From there, it was history, as he got over in short order as a plucky underdog face, in spite of their attempts to pigeonhole him as a low level comedy heel.
Before long, the 10 chants became impossible to ignore. He got feuds with Eric Young and Bobby Roode out it, as well as a surprise spot in the Royal Rumble – coming in at 10, of course. Still he was never able to reach what seemed to be his full potential, even in NXT – and on the main roster it became much, much worse. But even though he never connected to the decision makers, Tye always seemed to connect with fans and fellow wrestlers alike. He stood – and still does stand – as an inspiration to many, to know their worth and never give up.
#4 – SAnitY
SAnitY was the kind of act that seemed designed to draw the line in the sand between NXT and the main roster. They were edgy, gritty, wild and unkempt. They were anything but cookie cutter, and walked to the beat of their own drum. It was a group that seemed more apt for ECW than the mid-2010’s WWE.
Eric Young was the group’s leader, being a fountain of veteran experience. EY is best known for his years and years of service with TNA/Impact Wrestling, where he at one point had held every male title they’d ever introduced. (Damn Grand Championship, existing purely to ruin this stat…) He was also part of the longest reigning Knockouts Tag Title winning team, but we don’t talk about that… regardless, he made for a solid familiar base from which to introduce everyone else, and was always a solid hand.
Alexander Wolfe arguably never showed his true talent in-ring during his time in the group, usually used as the team’s foil, setting up hot tags from Killian Dain. But he did contribute a helluva lot of enthusiasm to the stable. He was always on, stomping and storming around on the apron when he wasn’t in the action. Much of the team’s personality came from Wolfe.
Killian Dain was a real standout, a large, burly athletic man. Being in the team really helped him shine, as it allowed him to hide whatever weaknesses he may have had and showcase only his strengths. And he has plenty to go around, excelling in power moves and stunning flying manuevers. He particularly showed out when the team participated in WarGames, an environment that seemed specially made for them, and for Dain in particular.
Nikki Cross however ended up being the real star of the show. A tiny firestorm of madness, Nikki was a hyper-active mental case of a competitor in her SAnitY days. And this helped propel into the stratosphere of popularity. She is, in my estimation, the single most over woman in NXT’s history to have never ended up holding the Women’s title.
This highlights the fact that, in spite of contributing a lot in terms of performances as well as to NXT’s image as a whole, they have precious little to show for their year and a half on the roster. They finally won the tag titles, only to lost it a scant three months later. And as mentioned, despite many attempts, Nikki never did end up with the gold of her own. I fear that because of this their importance to the brand may end up being lost to time, but I myself will never forget SAnitY.
#3 – Tyson Kidd
In NXT’s formative years, when the roster hadn’t yet become particularly deep or ladened with indy darlings, they relied heavily on main roster talents coming in to lend the rookies a safe hand. Usually these would be people that weren’t doing a whole lot on the main roster at the time. For example, the inaugural tournament to crown the first-ever NXT Champion involved the likes of Justin Gabriel, Drew McIntyre, Michael McGuillicutty aka Curtis Axel, and eventual finalist Jinder Mahal.
Among those men and women who helped out NXT in it’s fledgling days, unquestionably the best remembered is Cesaro. Cesaro’s bouts with Sami Zayn honestly put NXT on the map in many ways and helped pave the way for the four-star-factory that the show has become. Natalya is another who’s well regarded for helping Charlotte bring out flashes of future greatness, facing off with her in her own historic title victory. But one person who contributed a ton in his own right and doesn’t get near the recognition for it is Cesaro’s tag partner of the time, and, well… Nattie’s husband, Tyson Kidd.
Kidd for years had been underutilized to the point that people forgot he was still on the WWE roster. Ever since DH Smith’s untimely leave, he’d been drifting listlessly. He was wildly talented, but a victim of the same old same old; the tired vanilla midget mantra. He never really got the chance to shine in any meaningful way until he was given a run on NXT. There, he showed the world what a scant few already knew, that he belonged in the upper echelon.
After being a bit of a card filler on guest spots in 2012, he returned at the tail end of 2013 and found himself quickly inserted into NXT’s main event scene. There, his bouts with the likes of Sami Zayn and Tyler Breeze helped elevate them. He would then go on to headline the first-ever NXT TakeOver, a key defense for new champion Adrian Neville. He performed so well that he was called on again for the main event of the second TakeOver, part of a fatal four way with all three aforementioned men.
He not only wowed with his skills but showed signs of being a solid subtle heel as well. People would chant “Nattie’s Husband” at him, signifying that at the time his wife had clearly shown him up. In respond, he began coming to the ring with earmuffs on to block out the jeers. After his main event foray was done, Kidd would move on to his successful, if bitterly cut short tandem with Cesaro… but not before putting over the newly debuted Finn Balor on his way out.
#2 – Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan
Okay, so I’m generally operating under the rule here that I shouldn’t be classifying active talents as ‘unsung’, considering they may yet find their glory. But in this case, I’m pretty comfortable making the exception. Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan have been around as a team for quite some time, and I’ve personally always wanted to see them win either the NXT or NXT UK tag team titles, if just for a brief run. In fact back when rumors of Cruiserweight Tag Titles were doing the rounds, they were a team that jumped to my mind for that as well.
But at this point, it’ll be a pretty huge surprise for me if these guys ever get gold. And it’s a bit of a shame, because they’re awesome. The scrappiest of the scrappy underdogs, Burch and Lorcan are excellent hands that pretty much anybody should be able to have a good match with. In spite of their gritty, rough and tumble appearance, they’ve basically been career babyfaces on the NXT brands. They’re uniquely easy to root for.
This probably lends itself to their size and sheer anti-WWE quality. They simply seem like the kind of guys that would absolutely positively never even be considered for being on Raw or SmackDown’s rosters, let alone get any kind of push on them.
And that, to me, makes them NXT as all hell. Combine this with a seemingly unflappable work ethic, a no-nonsense fighting spirit, and all the running uppercuts you could ever want, and you have an incredibly overlooked asset in this team. They’ve provided great depth in the tag division since 2017 and don’t look like they’ll be stopping anytime soon. God bless ’em.
#1 – Emma
Your mileage may vary, but to me there’s only one possible #1 for a list like this.
When all things are said and done, the greatest contribution to this business that NXT has given us is far and away the advancements for women’s wrestling. It’s because of what went down in NXT from 2013-2015 that we got the so-called Diva’s Revolution/Woman’s Evolution. It’s because of the pioneers of those early days that women ended up getting to take part in Hell In A Cell matches, and headline PPVs, even headlining WrestleMania… it’s because of them that the ladies can have a completely neglected tag division of their own, mirroring the male’s. Yes, it’s all because of NXT that Stephanie McMahon invented women’s wrestling…
But seriously. What was done between those ropes by the women of yesteryear can’t be put over enough. It may not have been as spectacular as what we’d go on to see, but at the time, it was groundbreaking, eye-opening. After years of WWE pounding it into your head that women’s wrestling was a cute sideshow act, the women of NXT showed they were worth taking seriously. Much of that comes down to the efforts of Paige, Natalya, a very green Charlotte, a very green Sasha Banks… and yes, NXT’s forgotten daughter, Emma.
With her silly dance, bubble-filled entrance and eternal struggle pulling herself into the ring, Emma became a quirky, endearing mascot character for the division in a way. But while her goofy appeal resonated, when the bell rang she quickly gained respect as well. Trained by Lance Storm, and with a finisher that served as a shout-out to the Great Muta, Emma was deceptively legit. Her battle with Paige at NXT ArRival, the first major NXT show which would transition to the TakeOvers we know today, cemented the reputation that the NXT Women’s division had garnered.
Later, in something of a second life, Emma would return with a dark new attitude, allying herself with the newcomer Dana Brooke and serving as a foil to Asuka. Once again, not a headliner, but a vital cog in the machine.
I won’t sit here and tell you that women’s wrestling wouldn’t have evolved to be the big deal it is today without Emma. Ronda Rousey probably would’ve come into wrestling anyway, the Four Horsewomen may well have become household names anyhow.
But the NXT Women’s division getting to the level that it did out of nowhere was vital to everything that’s happened since. And Emma was as important in establishing that as anyone.
