The Wrestling Prospectus (NXT 15-11)

To begin this week’s edition, I wanted to start by clarifying something who specifically is on these rankings. All the men and women in these rankings have never been on the main roster before so Drew McIntyre is not going to be in the rankings. The reason for not including Drew is because it wouldn’t be fair to include someone who has had the shine of an Intercontinental title reign next to someone who’s still a work in progress. Also, being on the main roster for any length of time shows they have graduated from developmental and are no longer a prospect. On a completely different note, its hysterical to think that 3MB produced a World Champion, Tag Champion and potentially, someone who could become NXT champion. 2017 is a weird year.

Also, and I’m sure this will be temporary, none of the UK division will be on the rankings. Otherwise Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate would be in the top 5. My reasoning behind this is we have yet to hear that any of these wrestlers are under a developmental deal and are under a more experimental contract. Hence, why Dunne is thriving in the European Indies. Hopefully, several of these men get signed and become ranked prospects.

Now… on to the rankings.

15. Tommaso Ciampa

Will you ever forgive Ciampa for turning on Johnny Gargano? Can you ever forget the heartbreak of seeing DIY implode in front of our eyes? I mean, the man took a ladder shot for you Ciampa! How could you!!! But… isn’t that what a good heel does? They make you hate them so much that you can’t forget how and when they turned to the dark side. Shawn Michaels super kicking Marty Jannetty, Seth Rollins turning on The Shield, and now Ciampa attacking Johnny so that he could have “his moment”.

Ciampa, like Hero, was a mainstay at AAW in Chicago for some time and watching him do his thing was a treat. The man is incredible in the ring and delivered great matches with the likes of Penta El Zero, Tommy End and Sami Callihan. Ciampa can also be solid on the mic when he has something either well written (which we all know will be rare on the main roster) or when he has something close to his heart he truly believes. His character will have a solid baseline when he returns but will need to be flushed out more once he returns from his horrific knee injury. I don’t see him being allowed to play the “Pyscho Killer” like he had before his time in NXT, but an off shoot of the same sort of ruthless killer that will begin as a heel, but over time eventually turn face in the eyes of many. I mean, look at Michaels and Rollins when they turned to the dark side.

The negatives for Ciampa are… he’s injured. And probably out till 2018. That’s a long time to be on the shelf. And a ACL injury is no joke and could be a telling sign of working the independent scene for years. Ciampa has a good build and he sticks out somewhat on camera. Yet, he is short and may be put in the cruiserweight division because of this going forward. Personally, I’d love to see him get a shot at working with the likes of Zayn, Styles and Nakamura, but before we can dream too big, we have to remember who runs the company. Until then, let’s all wish Tommaso Ciampa a speedy recovery.

Projection: Cruiserweight/Mid Card​

14. Billie Kay

Our first woman in the rankings is one half of my favorite Aussie alliance. Billie is someone with a lot of projectability and in a women’s division that is expanding, that isn’t bad at all. Her entrance and presentation is remarkable. Her attire is fantastic and I can’t help but think super villain every time I see her come out. The pairing of her and Royce is a good call since they have a nice chemistry together. She’s also very young and is showing that she is improving every time I see her on TV.

The negatives with Billie Kay are that she’s developing her move set and ring psychology on TV. I don’t envy anyone having to learn, grow and most importantly, make mistakes in front of a global television audience. I find myself rooting for her to grow in her psychology and see the improvements every time. But she is behind other women on the roster like Asuka, Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot. Another note for Billie (and many other men and women in wrestling) is she needs to speak from her diaphragm when on the mic. This is a problem I see throughout the roster and could easily be remedied. I often hear fans say they don’t like the sound of this person’s voice but what most don’t realize is that the performer is only using a portion of what they need to project clearly to the audience. Billie is one of those and hopefully someone in the PC is teaching her simple breathing exercises to work on this detail.

Projection: Mid Card

13. Johnny Gargano

It’s fitting for Johnny Wrestling to come in at number 13. First, the man is anything but unlucky since he’s married to the lovely Candice LeRae. Secondly, the man is an excellent technical wrestler that is set up for a fantastic pay off when his feud with Ciampa gets to take off. When I look at Johhny, I see solid across the board with very few holes in his game. Sure he’s small, but he’s still a good-looking guy that can garner sympathy from fans both in the arena and at home. His comeback is one of the best for any baby face in NXT. He’s currently set up to have a nice run moving forward.

Gargano has a lot going for him that I like going into the future. But he, like others in the rankings, could unfortunately be limited to the cruiserweight division going forward. I personally don’t like that for Johnny. He excels working with bigger opponents and when he fires up, he can easily draw an audience in similarly to Bret Hart in his heyday. I’m certainly not comparing Gargano to Bret Hart, but he does have some similar abilities in storytelling to the Hitman. And his lack of size could actually end up working against him if he were relegated to 205 Live.

Projection: Cruiserweight/Mid Card

12. Peyton Royce

The second half of the Aussie Alliance is like her fellow countrywoman in many regards, but she is more advanced in specific parts of her game and that gives her an edge. Payton has shown that she is projectable, but also someone who is learning quickly. I like the developments in her character such as adding the flowers and laying on the ropes. These give her a similar feel to Billie Kay’s super villain look, but in a Poison Ivy sort of way. (On a side not, I’d find it humorous to see Marty Skurll come to NXT and have these girls form an alliance with him) Payton is also showing that her strengths no longer solely lie in presentation, and are moving into a reliable in-ring performer. She doesn’t stand out yet, but she’s making progress. I see her style being very basic right now but could easily evolve into a nice mat wrestler. She’s beautiful, talented and growing. So the sky is the limit.

I don’t like to sound like an old vet that puts down the current generation but I often notice many of today’s wrestlers don’t sell well and it shows in two ways. One, they forget to sell the part that was worked over. Two, they’ve never been in a real fight so they can’t draw from that experience when a person is striking them or locking them down in a hold. For me, I see more of the second problem with Payton. It’s obviously a good thing that she’s not out in bars brawling it up, but when a baby face fires up on her, she has the mechanics of selling down perfectly. However when I see her selling a submission, slam or strikes, her reactions seem forced. She is still young enough to make these changes, but hopefully Payton can check out someone like Chris Jericho, who can literally sell anything, and make you believe a face was getting his revenge when the time was right. Regardless, the future is bright for Payton and I believe her in-ring senses will catch up with her artistic talents.

Projection: Mid Card/Occasional Main Events

11. Ruby Riot

The former Heidi Lovelace is our last prospect for this week. Ruby is a recent arrival from the American Indy scene. If you are unfamiliar with her work check YouTube and you’ll see her talents. Ruby’s in-ring work is some of the best in NXT. She mixes hard hitting with high flying smoothly. She’s beginning to connect with the crowd each week as a face. Her punk rock rag-doll gimmick has been slightly tweaked but she is still very much true to herself since her arrival. Her look stands out from everyone else under contract in the WWE. As of right now, Ruby is behind Asuka and Nikki Cross as a finished product. She may not have the upside of Royce and Kay, but she certainly has a higher floor. In simple terms, she is solid across the board.

The main negative I have with Ruby is the lack of mic time right now. I’m waiting for her to get a shot on the mic to establish what Ruby Riot wants. Heidi, like many in NXT, is well traveled and schooled, but I feel as if this has been over looked throughout her brief time in NXT. When Heidi is on the mic, she is believable and can show heart. My fear is with her heavily tattooed look (which I love) Heidi may not be pushed to the same level as other women. Hopefully, like many wrestlers recently, she isn’t held back and is given her moment to shine.

Projection: Mid Card/Occasional Main Events

Look for the Young Lion Wrestling Prospectus next week to check out NXT prospects 10-6, as we get closer to completing our list of the top 20 up and coming potential WWE main roster prospects.

---

#CalebCarnes #WrestlingProspectus #NXT #2