Is WWE dropping the ball with NXT call-ups?

I always wonder why WWE brings up talent to the main roster when they have no plans for them. Recently, they made some cuts, including recent call-ups Blair Davenport and Elektra Lopez. In 2024, we saw the same thing happen with Cameron Grimes, Indi Hartwell, and Baron Corbin, who had just wrapped up a run on the black and gold brand, even winning tag titles with Bron Breakker.

It always feels like a missed opportunity because some of these superstars had prominent storylines and title reigns in NXT. Indi Hartwell was a Women's Champion, and Grimes was always featured in major storylines and the championship title scene. Blair Davenport was great in the ring and even played the role of a mystery attacker, taking out members of the women’s roster. We get excited when they get called up, only for them to never be utilized and eventually released. Why not keep them in NXT or have solid plans for them before making the move to the main roster?

It sucks when talent doesn’t get an opportunity to show main-roster fans what they can do. I get that some just don’t translate well on Raw or SmackDown, but sitting on the bench only to be cut has got to be frustrating. Indi Hartwell is solid in the ring, and we thought we were going to get a full reunion with Candice LeRae, only to get just a taste of what could have been. The same goes for Cameron Grimes, who had a strong run with the NXT Men’s Title and a program with the legendary Million Dollar Man.

If there are no creative plans for these talents, then leave them in NXT or cut them before calling them up to the main roster. I’d rather see that happen than have them fed false hopes, only to end up back where they started. It’s obviously these superstars' dream to make it to the main roster, so it has to be a gut punch to get called up and then never utilized. WWE, I get it—you need to put butts in seats and sell merch—but plan better for these superstars.

-Suplex Hek