Austin Aries Will Thrive in Absence of Top Stars in WWE NXT

From Apollo Crews to Baron Corbin, WWE's main roster has recently seen an exciting influx of new talent from NXT, but in their absence, Austin Aries will fill the void at the top of the card in developmental.

Aries debuted with the promotion over Royal Rumble weekend, being touted by NXT general manager William Regal as one of the brand's biggest signings to date. Before he could enter the ring on the night of his arrival, he was ambushed from behind by the vengeful Baron Corbin.

The two never clashed on an episode of NXT TV in the month that followed, but the various promos they cut on their own leading up to the ultimate match were excellent. Aries officially made his on-air in-ring debut for NXT at TakeOver: Dallas on April 1, defeating Corbin in a solid matchup.

Due to Aries winning via a roll-up, it was assumed that the feud would continue through the next few months. But that may no longer be the case with Corbin getting called up to Raw and seemingly becoming a main-roster regular.

One might ask where that would leave Aries going forward, but with Crews, Corbin and even Sami Zayn officially departing the black-and-yellow brand for the main roster, there is no reason to think Aries won't thrive among the elite in NXT.

Credit: WWE.com

At 37 years old, Aries is no young gun, but that isn't to say he doesn't have the potential to be a star in NXT, assuming he isn't one already. Samoa Joe is the the same age, yet he's been able to shatter all expectations by having a hellacious run over the last year.

Aries achieved a great deal of success on the independent scene over the first 10 years of his career, but it wasn't until 2011 when he returned to TNA that he became a household name.

His various reigns as X Division champion, entertaining tandem with Bobby Roode and memorable TNA World Heavyweight Championship victory put him on the map, though he reached a point where he had accomplished everything he could in the Nashville-based promotion.

Following his departure from TNA last summer, it was inevitable that he would be picked up by WWE for the ever-evolving NXT brand. Like Joe, he was brought in to add to the hot momentum of the product and has already proved to be an excellent addition to the stacked roster.

While Aries' premier outing in NXT was overshadowed by Shinsuke Nakamura's sensational performance that same night, he isn't one to be underestimated. With Finn Balor in need of fresh challengers to his NXT championship, now is the time for him to step up and take his rightful place in the upper echelon of the card.

It will be a while before we get a better idea of what the main event scene in NXT is going to look like with Crews, Corbin and Zayn gone, as several weeks of NXT TV were taped at Axxess over WrestleMania weekend.

Nakamura will undoubtedly be prominently featured in the future and Balor maintains his status as the face of NXT, but coming off his stunning loss in Dallas, Joe's role in the promotion remains unknown. Aries would be a logical No. 1 contender to the championship given his impressive win over Corbin.

Furthermore, Aries could have a ready-made rivalry with Bobby Roode if he debuts with NXT sooner rather than later. He was seen standing at ringside during TakeOver, and those two have plenty of history as both partners and opponents from their time together in TNA.

A main-roster run could quite possibly never be in the cards for Aries, which would be a shame since he wouldn't feel out of place in the slightest. Even if not, his NXT tenure is already off to a strong start, and that is where he can solidify himself as a main event-caliber competitor in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

Had Crews and company stuck around, there is a decent chance the self-proclaimed Greatest Man Who Ever Lived would have gotten lost in the shuffle. That said, fans need not worry about the current roster depth in NXT with the highly anticipated arrival of Austin Aries.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.

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