Fans of Impact Wrestling and TNA will know Rockstar Spud well. A regular on Impact for some time, he was the 140-pound underdog who somehow managed to defeat much larger wrestlers and was known for his alliances with talent like Ethan Carter III and Decay. He's now the general manager for 205 Live and a WWE hiree that has headed straight to the main roster in an effort to boost the Cruiserweight Division of the WWE.
Now known as Drake Maverick in WWE, Spud has not only changed his name but he's wasted no time in getting involved in helping 205 Live crown a new Cruiserweight Champion. Since former champion, Enzo Amore, has been released by WWE, the title is now vacant.
Seeing Drake Maverick on 205 Live was somewhat of a surprise for a number of WWE fans. Most new signings tend to make their way to and through NXT to get to the main roster. EC 3, War Machine, Ricochet, and others have already shown up in WWE's "minor league" system and while they may not stay long, it was expected Spud would arrive there as well. Instead, WWE had other plans.
The question is why? Why move Maverick into such a spot right away? It doesn't appear he'll be a wrestler despite his vast experience and it doesn't appear he'll be used to boost NXT's roster as talents make their way to the WWE main stage. So why use him on 205 Live when a few other names might have made more sense?
For starters, looking at Maverick's experience as a reason to use him in NXT is looking at things a bit backward. It's not that NXT can't use experienced talents or that Spud would have fit in nicely there (especially beside EC 3), but most of what made Spud so popular in TNA and should make him popular in WWE is his ability to use the mic.
During his time in Impact Wrestling, Spud was often the mouthpiece for other wrestlers, or he was given out-of-the-ordinary gimmicks, many of which he made work well. He managed wrestlers, he was a wrestler, and he was part of a faction that needed a vocal leader. In almost all cases, he was successful in getting himself and others over. This is a skill not all talents in NXT have yet and it is in NXT where these wrestlers hone that art.
One might argue then that a guy like EC 3 should have moved to the main roster right away as well. There is some merit to that as EC 3 has tremendous mic skills as well. The big difference between these two talents is that EC 3 has the potential to main even NXT pay-per-views. Perhaps, Maverick does not.
Instead of being asked to wrestle on a regular basis, as general manager, Maverick is going to be asked to carry many segments in backstage interviews, in-ring promos or opening the show. He's got the mic skills and charisma to do so and his size is not a factor.
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That leads us to the second reason. While Maverick has made a career out of being the smaller guy tackling bigger challenges, WWE is a different game. The industry has changed some, in that, not every wrestler is a monster, but in many ways, WWE is still known as the land of the giants and at 140 pounds, how believable would it have been for Maverick/Spud to compete?
In WWE, those types of characters don't last long. They may be popular upon their debut, but it doesn't take long before writers, namely Vince McMahon, view these smaller guys as characters who aren't believable as winners. Maverick would have undoubtedly fallen victim to this thinking.
There is always an opportunity for Maverick to compete down the road, but for now, making him general manager avoids making him an enhancement talent right out of the gate. This will prolong his career and make his potential in-ring debut more impactful.
Finally, Maverick has a bit of cache. WWE never used to think talents coming over from Impact would make much of a difference in WWE programming, but that close-minded thinking has changed some. 205 Live needs names that might draw viewers. Maverick fits the mold of a Cruiserweight and he was recognized as one.
Rockstar Spud might have been the perfect choice to turn into Drake Maverick, but there is some sense to it. As for his new name, we have no comment.