WWE officials were reportedly very pleased with the performances of the NXT talent featured at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The show, which was built around John Cena’s final match, also served as a showcase for the future of the company. Several developmental stars were given prominent spots on the card against main roster veterans to test their readiness for the next level.
Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the internal reaction to the NXT showcase was overwhelmingly positive. He noted that management views the specific group of talent used on the show as future cornerstones of the promotion.
“Yeah, I know that people there were very impressed with the four that wrestled,” Meltzer said. “Joe Hendry everyone knows, you know, it’s not like, you know, he’s a guy who’s going to go out there and he’s going to get a great, great, great crowd reaction, and that’s a big part of their business, but they see, they see Oba Femi as a superstar, they see Sol Ruca as a superstar, and they see Evans and Leon Slater as superstars. It’s not like they see it. They see it. They may botch it, something may happen. But it’s not like they’re not seeing it. So many people were like, ‘Maybe I’ll see it.’ And I go, like, ‘How do you not see it?’ They see it.”
The event featured three key matches highlighting this youth movement. NXT Champion Oba Femi stepped into the ring with Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. Sol Ruca, known for her unique athleticism, competed against Bayley.
In the tag team division, Je’Von Evans teamed with TNA’s Leon Slater to face the World Tag Team Champions, AJ Styles and Dragon Lee. Evans and Slater are two of the most agile high-flyers in wrestling today.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Wrestling Observer Radio with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
