10 Forgotten WWE NXT Stars

For every WWE NXT star that makes a name for themselves either in WWE's developmental system or later as a member of WWE’s main roster, there are about 10 candidates who won’t make it past a certain level – if they even get on television in the first place.

With so much talent coming through the doors of the WWE Performance Center, it’s inevitable that some of them aren’t quite going to break through and have the impactful NXT career that they (as well as those behind the scenes) hoped for. A lot of stars have passed through Full Sail and the PC in the past decade, but you may struggle to recall the following.

These are 10 Forgotten WWE NXT Stars!

10. Jake Carter

Wrestlers following in the footsteps of a famous family member must feel a real burden to not just continue the family legacy but ensure that they don’t tarnish it.

Jesse White – AKA NXT’s Jake Carter – had especially big shoes to fill, because he was the son of WWE Hall of Famer (and one of the best big men the business has ever seen) – Vader. A college football standout, Jesse’s gridiron dreams were unfortunately quashed by injuries, but he decided to give pro wrestling a try, doing some indies and then working in Japan (often teaming with his father) before WWE came calling and signed him to a developmental deal.

Jake Carter’s time in Florida Championship Wrestling was fruitful, as he bagged tag gold with fellow prospect Corey Graves. Things went awry when FCW rebranded to NXT, though, as Carter went solo as ‘your girlfriend’s favourite’. He was winless on the brand and would ultimately get released after failing to catch on and (allegedly) irking the writers with unwanted storyline pitches.

9. Caylee Turner

Another NXT hopeful itching for the same success as a family member was Christina Crawford, AKA Caylee Turner, the younger sister of Victoria ‘Alicia Fox’ Crawford. Signing with the company in the summer of 2010, Christina was released from her contract in early 2011 so that she could participate in the rebooted Tough Enough.

When she didn’t win the reality show, WWE re-signed her, and she ended up winning the FCW Divas Title. Caylee Turner wrestled a solitary televised NXT match, teaming with Kaitlyn to lose to Paige and Tamina Snuka on the August 8, 2012 episode of the show, after a couple of weeks of appearing in non-wrestling roles.

Three days later, WWE released Crawford – while she was still recognised as FCW Divas Champion.  Three days after that, WWE retired the FCW Divas Title, as they were preparing to fully rebrand everything to NXT, making Turner the final champion.

The rap on Crawford was that, after a couple of years in training, she wasn’t picking things up quickly enough and that her body wasn’t responding well to the wear and tear that comes with bumping.

8. Briley Pierce

Ryan Nemeth is the brother of Nic Nemeth, FKA Dolph Ziggler, and he’d watched his brother go from a caddy to a male cheerleader, to a bloke who introduces himself to people before getting beaten up, to finally achieving a nice level of success as a dependable workhorse. So, perhaps there was a chance for Ryan.

The one-time FCW Tag Team Champion debuted in NXT as an interviewer, before making three televised in-ring appearances (all of them recorded at the same May 2, 2013 television taping).

They were a no contest with Sakamoto when The Ascension’s Connor O’Brian ran in and attacked them both. Then a handicap match loss to O’Brian while teaming with Sakamato. And then a fleeting battle royal appearance that aired after he was released. His release was a surprise to many, as it was noted that he was popular and worked hard, but WWE were about to move everybody into their new Performance Center and wanted to bring in some fresh faces.

7. Memo Montenegro

NXT’s Memo Montenegro wasn’t just a member of any wrestling family, either. As the son of Dos Caras, nephew of Mil Mascaras and brother of Alberto Del Rio, he was essentially lucha libre royalty before he’d even put on a mask. New to the business and not exactly doing anything to stand out, the unmasked Montenegro wrestled eight NXT matches in total, including two on television.

Those two matches were quick losses to Big E and then Xavier Woods. After what were essentially a pair of squash matches, Memo wrestled a handful of non-televised house show bouts, coming out on the winning side once (in a six-man opener). Dropping off the radar and not being seen in an NXT ring for months, it was no major surprise when he received his release in July of 2013.

6. El Local

Though primarily known for his talents as a ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez knew a thing or two about wrestling as well. Prior to being signed by WWE, Rodriguez worked on the indie scene as Chimaera and wrestled a couple of matches under the name and gimmick when assigned to FCW in 2010.

Then he got a recurring role as Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer, though he continued to wrestle in the minor leagues under his new alias. Once the association with Del Rio ended and that jarring partnership with Rob Van Dam ran its course, Rodriguez returned to NXT as El Local.

Mostly used as a jobber, El Local did enjoy some degree of relevancy while teaming with Kalisto (who clearly had far more upside) against The Ascension, which included an NXT Tag Team Title match at the very first TakeOver event. That first TakeOver was the end of the line for Local/Rodriguez, who was released just a couple of months later.

5. Mickey Keegan

Max Pelham had been working the indies for about seven years – including forming a tag team with Tommaso Ciampa – when he signed his WWE developmental deal in August of 2012. He debuted as Axl Keegan and suffered televised losses to Bo Dallas, Big E and The Shield, before resurfacing with a new first name.

Further rapid losses to Dallas, The Ascension and The Wyatt Family showed that he was not high in WWE’s priorities. Regrettably, creative indifference would be the least of Pelham’s worries, as tests showed his health was rapidly deteriorating, with worsening spinal stenosis forcing him to step away from the ring. He stuck around NXT for a few more months as a creative assistant, before leaving in January of 2014.

4. Sakamoto

Kazma Sakamoto ventured overseas in the summer of 2011 for a customary ‘learning excursion’ away from his Japanese homeland. Having worked for TAKA Michinoku’s K-DOJO promotion for the best part of a decade, Kazma sought new experiences and challenges and wound up getting signed to a WWE developmental deal.

His FCW stay was characterised by doing jobs for just about everyone, before he was called up to the main roster as the manager-come-whipping boy of Lord Tensai. When the Tensai character failed to get over to the desired level, Sakamoto was sent back to Florida, resurfacing as the opponent for a debuting Adrian Neville in January of 2013.

It was clear just what Sakamoto’s spot on the third brand would be and his subsequent losses to Mason Ryan and Konnor O’Brian were par for the course. When he was one of the first men to be quickly eliminated in a battle royal, he must have seen the writing on the wall. Thankfully, since his release, Sakamoto has been able to show a lot more of what he is genuinely capable of while wrestling in his native Japan.

3. Troy McClain

Trained by Rikishi and Gangrel at their Florida-based Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy, Alexander Jones was offered a WWE developmental deal very early into his sports entertainment journey after John Cena spied him while visiting the school and helped open the door by setting up a tryout.

A talented three-sport athlete who had been specifically recruited by his Attitude Era coaches, Jones readily admitted that he didn’t grow up a fan of the business but endeavoured to give it a shot anyway.

Laboured with a slightly naff motivational speaker gimmick, Troy McClain only made a couple of televised appearances for NXT, but reportedly received good marks from those who tracked his progress at live events, including Hall of Famer and eagle-eyed scout Gerry Brisco (who felt Jones had the tools to be a major player in the future). That didn’t happen, as McClain was surprisingly released from his contract and – after a short spell on the indies – left the industry altogether.

2. Garrett Dylan

The son of The Highwaymen’s Kris Kristofferson, Jody opted for a career in bone-bending and grafted in the small halls before getting a shot in WWE’s developmental system. At one point Jody took off for a while to deal with a personal matter, with Triple H bringing him back after it had been sorted out.

Christened Garrett Dylan, he looked and wrestled like a solid throwback and gave the impression that he could grow into a hell of a hand in time. In NXT he formed teams with both Jake Carter and Scott Dawson, the latter of which started to gain a little bit of traction before Garrett was released the first time around.

When he came back, he wasn’t given many opportunities and was only used to put over others – including Camacho and Mojo Rawley – before being given the boot for good. Post-NXT, he continued working the indies and developed a new character called War Pig.

1. Audrey Marie

Unlike many who pursue the WWE dream, Ashley Miller was neither an aspiring wrestler nor had any real athletic background to speak of. Miller was a fan of it growing up, however.

Ashley was working as an accountant when she entered and won a modelling contest, subsequently turning down several other modelling gigs in order to try out with WWE. She was signed to a deal, given the moniker of Audrey Marie and, despite her lack of experience, impressed those in charge, so much that she beat Aksana to win the FCW Divas Title, which she held for 105 days.

Audrey probably thought she was getting called up to the main roster when she was included in vignettes filmed hyping up the Wyatt Family’s debut – but she remained in the newly revamped NXT instead. She initially scored a couple of decent wins on NXT TV (against the likes of Sasha Banks and Paige), but was quickly phased out in favour of Banks, Paige and the rest of the insurgent crop of promising young women. Miller was released in May of 2013 and wrestled one more independent match before calling it a day.