When Paul “Triple H” Levesque officially took over creative control of the WWE from his father-in-law Vince McMahon following the latter's retirement, it changed the history of wrestling forever.
In less than a week, the WWE Universe watched the amount of time budgeted to actually wrestling in the ring jump from under 30 minutes to almost 50 minutes, watched comedy segments become fewer and further between, and watched Max Dupri go from a character who creeped out Mr. McMahon to an Avante Garde superstar capable of headlining Tim and Eric-style surrealist video packages in perpetuity.
And yet, the biggest addition Levesque has brought to the WWE Universe hasn't been to the show formatting, the program ordering, or even the decision to book a Becky Lynch face turn after a weird tenure performing out of character – literally – as a jaded heel. No, the biggest addition is a literal addition, as, after being released from the promotion earlier this year, Dakota Kai was brought back to The Fed to fill out a faction with Bayley and Io Shirai, who will now be known by the in-ring name Iyo Sky. Where Mr. McMahon once saw two NXT veterans who weren't liable WWE performers either on the RAW or SmackDown brands, Trips highlighted a pair of performers who got themselves over for their abilities inside and out of the ring, and decided to highlight them, not hide them, with choice spots alongside one of the best talkers in the biz, Bayley.
So naturally, this got more than a few fans thinking; who else would be a fantastic re-addition to the WWE? Which former NXT standouts would look darn good back in The Fed, especially with their former booker shepherding their career well into the future? Well, excluding Johnny Gargano, let's take a look around the free agent market and try to find out.
These 3 former NXT standouts would look great in Triple H's new WWE.
3. Dexter Lumis
When Dexter Lumis was released from NXT earlier this year, it raised more than a few eyebrows across the greater WWE Universe. The Kayfabe husband of Indi Hartwell, who was responsible for more than a few of the weirder – in a good way – segments in the promotion's history, Lumis' absence made NXT less fun, more predictable, and ultimately less bizarre, which is a bad thing no matter how you slice it.
So, despite the man now working as Samuel Shaw, having found a new home in NWA, why not give Billy Corgan a call and see if he's can't buy him out of his contract a la Tony Khan and Thunder Rosa – assuming, of course, Lumis is signed to more than a per-appearance deal.
Pair him back up with Indi, who has the unfortunate distinction of being in the frontrunner for the worst Match of the Year for a “negative star” affair against Lash Legend – at least according to The Wrestling Observer crew – and watch the money roll in regardless of the booking decisions.
2. Karrion Kross
Tell me if you've heard this one before, but Karrion Kross needs to be back in the WWE Universe.
Yes, Kross is having a “Killer” run across the independent wrestling world reunited with Scarlett Bordeaux, including a win over Davey Boy Smith Jr. at Ric Flair's Last Match, but his in-ring style, presentation, and overall vibe just scream WWE, as opposed to spending his time working alongside the likes of EC3 and the man formerly known as Braun Strowman in clubs across the country.
After spending the better part of a year building up Kross as an unstoppable heelish monster, Triple H needs to unleash Kross on the WWE Universe and finally show the wrestling world what all that booking was building up to.
1. Bray Wyatt, Bo Dallas, and Eric Rowan
Alright, this one is a little more conceptual but hear me out – it's a weirdy but a goodie.
While Vince McMahon didn't “get” what made Bray Wyatt and his “The Fiend” character special, Triple H is an avid social media user and has certainly seen all of the money the performer formerly known as Husky Harris on the original NXT gameshow could bring to the promotion if he were to return just from merch sales alone.
So, with a near-unlimited budget to spend on talent – despite what Nick Khan would have you believe – why not bring back Wyatt and see what kind of new character he can cook up? Heck, why not bring his brother Bo Dallas back too, as he's stated he's more than capable of wrestling once more, and Eric Rowan as well, and see what kind of damage a three-man faction can do a la Bayley, Iyo Sky, and Dakota Kai on RAW? It certainly would go a long way in getting the fans back on The Fed's side, and maybe even pay some tribute to the late Brodie Lee too.
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