Projecting Roles for Baron Corbin, Other Debuting WWE Superstars on Main Roster

The opening act of Baron Corbin's stay on the main roster suggested that he is poised for a prime position on the WWE food chain. 

Corbin was a part of an influx of NXT talent on Monday's Raw, with Apollo Crews, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady all storming onto the WWE stage. The post-WrestleMania tradition of introducing new talent lives on.

Fans have certainly seen a number of fresh faces arrive only to get smashed in. But The Lone Wolf promises to ride a career arc that looks far more like Kevin Owens' than Tyler Breeze's. 

But what of Crews and The Realest Guys in the Room? How they were first presented provided hints of what to expect from them moving forward. Examining their skills and strengths while comparing them to recent call-ups offers glimpses of their WWE future as well.

The Lone Wolf

Corbin will be a new breed of monster. His character at NXT was the heel who targeted indy darlings and the favorites of the diehard fans. He tormented and despised the wrestlers who worked their way up through the independent circuit, telling them to go back to competing in bingo halls.

That's a smart way to help him garner heat in the modern era. 

In his first appearance on Raw, it certainly looked as if Corbin's character will stay intact on this new stage. The Lone Wolf first battled Dolph Ziggler, a longtime favorite of the Internet Wrestling Community.

How he manhandled Ziggler, combined with winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania, suggests big things ahead for Corbin. The powerhouse didn't start by feeding on enhancement talent; he defeated a former world champion, albeit one who loses quite often.

Corbin's size and imposing presence will afford him multiple opportunities. Adam Rose, Bo Dallas and other NXT arrivals over the past few years had the disadvantage of not looking the part. That won't be an issue for the man with the tattooed 6'8'', 275-pound frame.

In the early part of his WWE tenure, Corbin will run roughshod over the bottom half of the roster. An undefeated streak for a newly arrived monster heel is commonplace.

From there, big-name foes like John Cena won't be far behind. Count on Corbin getting the push many expected WWE to offer Braun Strowman. 

One-Man Nation

With eye-popping offense and a pure good-guy smile, Crews is going to be a fan favorite. LaToya Ferguson wrote for the A.V. Club, "Apollo Crews is quite possibly going to be every child's new favorite wrestler."

But all that being said, expect WWE to bungle his booking in the early going.

Neville's career path thus far is what one should assume is waiting for Crews. Neville delivered red-hot performances from his debut onward and seemed to have the crowd behind him, but WWE assigned him to six-man tag matches with little meaning and failed to give him a sustained rivalry.

WWE couldn't find a way to tell Neville's story, and The Man That Gravity Forgot isn't strong enough of a talker to combat that. 

NXT had only begun to craft a full character for Crews, and his mic work needs development. So while he will excite with his flashy offense and out-of-this-world athleticism, he won't be a high priority early on.

Crews' role in the next few months will be as an exciting addition to multi-man matches, a midcarder and a stepping stone. He will be a dazzling attraction on the main roster, but like Neville, one struggling to make real progress in the chase to the top of WWE. 

The Realest Guys in the Room

Right away, Amore and Big Cass will provide an injection of energy into the tag team division. The duo is too charismatic, too red hot not to showcase in a big way.

WWE seems to agree. It had Amore and Cassady take aim at The Dudley Boyz upon their arrival.

While that doesn't mean what it used to, it's a sign of the NXT alumni getting a lofty spot moving forward. Notice that Bubba Ray and D-Von haven't been feuding with The Social Outcasts or The Ascension but rather the division's top squads. 

As Greg Parks of Pro Wrestling Torch pointed out, The Dudley Boyz will serve as solid rivals for Amore and Cassady:

The thinness of the tag team division opens the door to a run at the tag titles before long. Kalisto's run as United States champ has essentially paused The Lucha Dragons as a team. The Social Outcasts have been booked to be doormats. The League of Nations has yet to feel like a credible threat.

And so the path is clear for Amore and Cassady to rise up the ranks in a hurry.

Expect The Realest Guys in the Room to be a heavily featured act thanks to how well the rev up the crowd and how thrilling they are as talkers. The Ascension didn't make much of an impact after coming up from NXT, largely because they didn't have enough personality to pull fans in. That will not be a problem for Amore and Cassady.