Over the last couple of months we have seen the returns of Rhyno and Brian Kendrick to WWE television in the form of NXT. Kendrick took on Finn Balor and Rhyno has faced Sami Zayn. Rhyno has made it clear he is back for the NXT Title. I think the idea of having veterans come back to help and elevate the younger talent is great strategy and business move by Triple H. There is no doubt in my mind that Triple H knows what the fans want and it shows how much better the NXT show is then Raw and Smackdown. The idea of bringing veteran talent caught my attention in 2014 when Too Cool came back to NXT to take on The Ascension. It really helped get the Ascension noticed when they defeated a legendary tag team.
There are a lot former WWE talent that would fit the NXT mold and there would be one great way to show it. The WWE has their King of the Ring talent to push current talent on the main roster. Well WWE NXT should have a one night live special called NXT Redemption where you take 8 former WWE stars in put them in a tournament. The winner of the tournament would a WWE NXT Title match and would receive a spot on the main roster. The runner up of the tournament would receive a spot an NXT. I took at WWE.com and picked out eight superstars who I would choose for an eight mean tournament. Here they are:
Brian Kendrick
David Hart Smith
John Morrison
Ken Shamrock
Shelton Benjamin
Ted Dibiase Jr.
Rhyno
Tajri
Now this should not be limited to just singles competitors. I believe they should do the same thing with the tag team division. The winners get an NXT Tag Team Title shot and a spot on the main roster and the runners up should get a spot on the NXT roster. Here are eight tag teams that I would use for the tournament if I was booking the tournament:
Dudley Boys
Hardy Boys
Harlem Heat
New Age Outlaws
Paul London and Brian Kendrick
Rob Van Dam and Sabu
Too Cool
World’s Greatest Tag Team(Haas and Benjamin)
Now I am not saying you have to use these individuals or tag teams on a regular basis. Some of them it could be a one time only deal and others if they perform well bring them back when needed. I think veterans in NXT would beneficial if they were booked and used the correct way, Eventually I would love the man behind NXT get into his ring gear and step into an NXT ring. I think if the situation was right Triple H versus Kevin Owens would be a huge match and would prove Triple H is really out to push the younger talent.
Whether or not more veteran talent beyond Rhyno and Kendrick remains to be seen, but I for one would be excited if they did. There is a lot of talent out there that really never got the chance because there wasn’t an NXT to go down to and work on what they needed to improve on, WWE NXT is the breeding ground for the future, but it can also be the redemption that others need. I am very much excited for the future of WWE and NXT for years to come. a
