Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman Says WWE Main Roster Should 'Step Up' After NXT Call-Ups
Complacency seems to always be an issue with established wrestling promotions like WWE. Some guys who have been there for years sort of "go through the motions" with their in-ring work and just utilize the same, old routines that worked before.
Sean Waltman, much like Drew McIntyre, has a problem with those who are complacent in WWE's locker room. He says that with the new NXT call-ups, some established vets need to up their game or they will stick out like a sore thumb in the ring.
"Aleister Black had Andrade the next night on SmackDown which was an opponent he had great matches with in NXT, so it was a really really good matchup and they were able to work that style that they worked in NXT," said Waltman. "Look, what I am trying to say is, it was like you can tell there was a big difference, to me, in the feel of those matches. Those guys with this cutting-edge style and with different ways of going into things... and then you go and you see the other guys on the roster that are just working that same kinda, you know, same routines, same way of shooting guys in, it felt all of a sudden very antiquated looking compared to what I saw from the NXT guys."
Along with Aleister Black, guys like Ricochet, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa all made their main roster debuts this week. Whether they stick with the main roster or return to NXT remains to be seen, but the energy and excitement they brought to their matches was something that was lacking from the current crop of Superstars.
"I think some of the other guys on the roster maybe need to step up and update their game," stated Waltman. "We just get comfortable in our routines and that's how it worked before, but now you can see wrestling from around the world and all the promotions and everyone has something online you could see. And many years ago you could do these routines and they weren't routines to the fans because they didn't see them as much. So yeah, I just think we get comfortable so it's time to shake things up a little bit."
Shaking things up was exactly Triple H's goal when he called up the four NXT Superstars. In his words from Raw, Triple H wanted to "pour gasoline on the fire" that is WrestleMania season, and instead of waiting until the Raw after WrestleMania for new Superstars to make their debuts, he did it a couple of months earlier.
When new Superstars join the main roster, that usually means that other ones depart and we're approaching the time where Superstars get future endeavored. Waltman's words should be a warning message to anyone who thinks it's okay to get "too comfortable" with their current position.
Sources: X-Pac 1,2,360