WWE NXT Scouting Report for Recent Signee Kevin Steen

WWE NXT is set to experience a surge of excitement when Kevin Steen arrives.

The latest big-name signing to come WWE's way is a versatile in-ring performer, a magnetic talker and a unique talent. WWE announced on its website that it had added the indy star to its developmental system.

Steen getting a shot at WWE success is a sign of the company's dedication to building new stars regardless if they fit the typical Superstar mold.

In the past, WWE has often coveted men built like Mason Ryan, imposing powerhouses with muscles bulging from their massive torsos. With Fergal Devitt, Kenta and now Steen coming aboard, it's increasingly clear that Triple H's vision of WWE's future isn't limited to guys who look like comic book superheroes.

Steen is just a touch under 6 feet tall and more rotund than the average WWE star.

The Quebec, Canada, native has been wrestling for over a decade, beginning his career in flea markets outside of Montreal back in 2000. He has since become one of the most popular wrestlers on the independent circuit and one of Ring of Honor's most successful stars, holding their world title for nearly a year.

The next leg of his journey will take him down to Full Sail University, where his experiences at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Montreal's International Wrestling Syndicate and ROH will allow him to bypass many of NXT's prospects in short time.

Ring Skills 

Steen's skill set is not what one would expect when first seeing him. Watching him wrestle, one may wonder if Rob Van Dam had somehow inhabited Mick Foley's body.

Explosive, agile and quick for his size, Steen can impress with acrobatic moves. Without much of a running start, he can perform a somersault leg drop from a standing position.

This kind of offense is a big part of his game. He employs a smooth 450 splash, a moonsault off the top rope and dives onto his foes outside the ring.

These bursts of athleticism have been part of why his matches are so fun, but his work in the ring goes beyond that. Steen is a well-rounded wrestler, merging acrobatics, mat wrestling and brawling to create compelling performances.

His technical wrestling is good, but his smashmouth offense is his forte. 

There's a reason Steen's most recognizable T-shirt reads "Fight Steen Fight." He won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Bruiser Brody Memorial Award (Best Brawler) for three straight years from 2010-2012.

That fighting ability is infused with his power moves, high-flying and some better-than-average showmanship. Whether he's gritting his teeth as he clamps on a hold, biting his opponent or barking at the crowd, Steen leaves an impression on the audience with more than actual wrestling.

The result of this combination of skills has been a large collection of well-received matches. Dave Meltzer has handed out high ratings to Steen's bouts on many occasion for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t The Internet Wrestling Database).

Event	Opponent	Star Rating out of 5
Final Battle 2010	El Generico	4.25
Showdown in the Sun	El Generico	4
Best in the World 2012	Davey Richards	4
Glory by Honor XI	Michael Elgin	4.5
Final Battle 2012	El Generico	4
11th Anniversary Show	Jay Lethal	4
Global Wars	Adam Cole	4.25

Especially noteworthy about this list of standout clashes is that they involve a variety of opponents.

When pitted against a human rhino like Michael Elgin, athletic Jay Lethal or smaller, quicker opponents like El Generico, Steen has thrived. El Generico, who has since signed with NXT and become Sami Zayn, could soon be Steen's foe once again.

Like Zayn, Steen seems to develop great chemistry with a large number of his opponents. That will serve him well in NXT and WWE, allowing him to perform superbly against anybody the company throws at him.

Mic Work

Steen will immediately be one of the best talkers at NXT upon his arrival. He's a confident speaker with often-understated passion.

This is the area of his overall skill set that will get him noticed early on. He's had a strong presence on the mic and that should only be magnified when he has to go face-to-face with WWE's best talkers.  

In a promo for a recent match against Jerry Lawler for Northeast Wrestling, Steen was subtle but compelling. It showed off his natural acting talent and an ability to get an audience's attention without screaming.

Like Zayn so often does, Steen comes off as genuine.

His mic work feels more like peeks into his psyche rather than memorized speeches. That was true when he talked about his match against Shinsuke Nakamura.

He journeyed from calm and thoughtful to intense by the end of the promo.

Along with his thrilling acrobatic moves, his mic work is going to be his key to making a connection with the WWE audience. Patric LaPrade writes for Slam! Sports that when Steen tried out for WWE along with a host of other potential prospects, he "was said to have the best camp as far as mic skills."

Other Thoughts 

Steen comes to NXT more experienced than several of his peers. Like Zayn and Adrian Neville, his time at WWE developmental will be more about adjustment than learning.

His move set will require some changes. He has used both the F-5 and the Sharpshooter as finishing moves. As much as those are associated with other stars, Steen will likely have to seek out some new signature weapons.

A lot of his repertoire features moves that WWE will ask him to phase out. The package piledriver and pump-handle neckbreaker have the opponent's head crashing toward the mat. 

Just as Zayn has sheathed the brainbuster, Steen will have to do the same with these moves.

He comes into NXT with the advantage of being extremely familiar with Zayn. The two have a long history together and will have the benefit of great chemistry when they collide once more.

As a bonus, Steen speaks French. Language skills have helped others become more valuable. Cesaro has done backstage interviews in German, and Ricardo Rodriguez hung around for awhile doing Spanish-language commentary.

Although Steen is more athletic than Foley, his brawling and compelling mic work will have him draw comparisons to the Hall of Famer.

Steen, though, is his own species of wrestler. He's a high-flyer with a bruiser's build, a man who issues controlled rage into the mic, a French-Canadian ready to follow his indy success with WWE triumphs.