Is Top NXT Talent Being Wasted on WWE Roster?

Talent is getting lost in the translation as it travels from NXT to WWE's main roster.

Kevin Owens' claws have dulled since making that move. Kalisto finds himself crammed onto a stage where spotlight is hard to come by. Bo Dallas has fallen down a pit since making the jump from WWE's developmental brand.

To say, though, that WWE is wasting these former NXT stars doesn't tell the full story.

For one, Neville is getting more airtime than many would have expected. Rather than dismiss him as being too small, as WWE has done with other cruiserweights, it has instead played up his strengths and presented him as a superhero in wrestling boots.

And it's too early to used the word "buried" with Owens. He's not yet competing for a main event spot, but the company has shown flashes that it wants to properly showcase him, that he believes he can be an impact star.

Inconsistency is hurting his momentum, though. As for Kalisto, it's lazy booking that has held him back. Dallas is suffering from WWE's neglect while his former NXT rival is getting the best treatment of those four men.

Neville: Fingertips Away from Gold

To judge where Neville stands on the company ladder, don't count up the victories that he has earned since WWE called him up; look at the opportunities. 

Since debuting at the tail end of March, Neville has gone to battle with some of the roster's biggest names. The Man That Gravity Forgot has already faced off against John Cena, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho and Sheamus.

In a little over four months, he has a WWE title match, a United States Championship bout and making it to the King of the Ring tournament finals on his resume. Even The Shield couldn't claim any of that in its opening act.

WWE hasn't been generous when it comes to wins for Neville just yet, but he's not getting floored by this guys either.

Again and again, the story of these bouts is that he gets inches away from winning. He pushed Rollins in their world title match and had some breathtaking near-falls along the way. He had Cena beat in their title match, a run-in preventing him from taking home the gold that night.

If WWE utilizes this, it will make his eventual success more powerful. If his peak ends up being a handful of moral victories, that will be a mistake.

Neville has proven that his skills translate to the main roster. He has delivered some excellent action so far and come off as a bit of a superhuman character.

A tag team match alongside actor Stephen Amell at SummerSlam may not seem like a great spot, but he will be part of something that is sure to be talked about plenty in the days following the event.

Bo Dallas: From Champion to Afterthought

Dallas has to wish that WWE treated him like Neville.

Both men were NXT champion and the top star at Full Sail University at one point. Dallas, though, has had little success to speak of since arriving to WWE proper.

Despite being on the main roster far longer than both Owens and Neville, he doesn't have anywhere near the list of accomplishments that those guys have. He's a no-show most nights. And when he does make an appearance, it's usually to let someone walk all over him.

He has had just four matches on Raw and four SmackDown bouts this year to his name. That's a Zack Ryder schedule.

Dallas is no top-tier guy but could be contributing far more.

Where's the equivalent to his "Occupy NXT" moment? Why isn't he getting escorted from the building more often?

WWE could have him host a Miz TV-type segment on SmackDown where, like The Miz, he riles up his guests with his grating heel character. He could be a manager or at least involved in more backstage segments.

Even if he loses a bunch, he should be having tantrums and complaining the next chance he has a mic in hand. That's a chance to make him an intriguing part of the show, without getting a push per se. 

Opportunities like those just haven't come his way often enough. He's done well to develop his persona only to see it rust on the main roster.

Kalisto: Slipping From the Spotlight

The victim of a poorly booked tag team division, Kalisto has to think back longingly to his NXT days.

Back then, he and Sin Cara had actual rivals. The Vaudevillains mocked and angered them; The Lucha Dragons whipped them in response. They also had the benefit of a buildup to their matches with The Ascension.

On the main roster, however, Kalisto is just getting thrown into a crowd. WWE has his team challenging for the tag titles at SummerSlam, but along with two other squads.

There has been little chance to get to know Kalisto or see him and his partner go on a roll. When he's in the ring, he often has the crowd in awe, zipping across the screen like some cartoon character.

That action is often in the form of eight-man matches with little significance, which has become WWE's go-to method for booking the tag division.

There's a chance to make Kalisto a very marketable, beloved Superstar, especially to kids, but he'll need more of a share of the stage at some point.

Kevin Owens: An Aura in Flux

The issue with Owens is about more than his losses. Sure, losing to Cena twice in a row was a missed opportunity, but it's how WWE has changed the way the audience perceives him that is holding him back.

At NXT, officials presented him perfectly. His character was a slight variation on the guy who wrecked havoc at Ring of Honor and elsewhere. Owens was a hard-nosed, take-no-prisoners brawler. He was dangerous and merciless and must-watch as a result.

Since coming to the main roster, he's been presented as more vulnerable.

That comes from a combination of losing, retreating more often, and a fat joke or two aimed his way on TV. Wrestlers insult each other all the time, but it was odd to see WWE go the bashing-his-look route on Monday's Raw.

Hall of Famer Jim Ross nailed it with his comment on the joke:

That remark would have had far less impact had Owens been showcasing his destructive force on a consistent basis. Sami Zayn, Alex Riley and Neville all left the arena in need of medical care after Owens was through with them. He hasn't left that kind of wreckage as much on the main roster.

He's a beast treated like a mild threat.

That's a waste of what he can do. If you have a wrecking ball, you tear down walls with it. If you have Owens on your roster, you make him a charging bull looking to stick someone with his horns.

WWE hasn't done that well enough yet. It hasn't maximized one of NXT's most promising talents.