WrestleTalk Roundtable – WWE Raw – January 14, 2019

Raw finally delivered on some of the promised NXT call-ups we’ve been hearing so much about in recent weeks, albeit that they were made to look like extras in a fairly lacklustre game of Where’s Waldo?.

Rather than debut these characters front and centre, in segments designed to create immediate impact, most of these new faces were confined to the background, not even given an opportunity to speak. In fact, if you weren’t a regular viewer of NXT, you’d still have no idea who this bunch of lurkers were.

The first three developmental faces we saw were EC3 looking dapper as anything, Nikki Cross already getting locked into the customary multi-person feud with the Riott Squad and Lacey Evans looking dapper – hey! That’s EC3’s gimmick, lady! Take your well-dressed shtick somewhere else.

Who do YOU spy with your little eye?#RAW @LaceyEvansWWE pic.twitter.com/KztKloI3KD

— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) January 15, 2019

It was all rather underwhelming, particularly for ‘EC-3 weeks until he’s in a mid-card feud with Elias’. While Lacey Evans and Nikki Cross have as good a chance as anyone of stepping up in a Raw Women’s division that’s recently announced new tag team championships, the former Impact star’s future looks decidedly more murky. At least based off of his first mute appearance, which was relegated to picture-in-picture while a tag match was happening on the main screen.

It was the kind of worrying introduction we’ve seen far too often among NXT call-ups of late. The type of first step that makes you wonder whether EC3 thinks that the ghost of jobber future has come to pay him a visit whenever he runs into Bobby Roode backstage.

The entire spectacle was frankly bizarre. Although admittedly not quite as bizarre as our introduction to Otis Dozovic. It all started with Mr ‘Steaks, Weights and Pretty Ladies’… ummm, so he… well, you see… just do yourselves a favour and watch it.

Triple H once proudly claimed that WWE never debuts an NXT call-up without having a clear storyline plotted out. I’m not so sure. In my view, WWE has turned into that one kid in middle-school who always bragged about his new girlfriend. But unfortunately you couldn’t meet her because she goes to another school, works a gruelling holiday job and lives in Canada. Essentially Raw has become all show and no go. But when that show is three hours of lacklustre NXT debuts, you’re really left with nothing at all.

Speaking of lacklustre, did you know that Glass is in theatres this Friday?

But what else happened on last night’s Raw? As always, our WrestleTalk writers are here to take you through the main goings-on on the red brand. Starting off on a positive note, let’s get to the good.

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