WWE's system for calling-up wrestlers is extremely important to the long-term success of the company. Talents get their start in a promotion called NXT, and once ready for the spotlight, get called up to the main roster and given an opportunity to be a bigger part of either Raw of SmackDown Live. Think of NXT as the minor leagues or the training ground for future WWE stars.

Unfortunately, like a failed sports star getting called up from the minors, not everyone who graduates from NXT becomes a huge star in WWE. There are characters that do well in a smaller arena environment that don't necessarily translate over to the bigger stage, there are talents that WWE writers aren't as invested in as NXT writers are and there are some wrestlers that simply prove they're not ready when it's their turn to try and run with the ball on the main roster.

In an effort to examine which of the more recent NXT grads have flopped the worst, we're taking a look at every type of failed NXT graduate. This includes called-up stars who have already disappeared, some who should be gone and others who eventually will be because they just aren't working in today's WWE storylines.

Who are the biggest NXT flops in history? Here are 10 NXT Call Ups That Flopped On The Main Roster (And 8 Who Are Next).

18 Flopped: Apollo

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He has all the natural skills you'd want in a big man. He's ripped, he can move, he's flashy and he's got a million dollar smile but he's boring and the WWE main audience knows it. He was making his way up the ladder of NXT when the brand pushed him to the main roster far too soon. Apollo wasn't ready and his character never got the crowd response to make him a top-level babyface. He hasn't done much of anything since.

He's now part of the Titus Worldwide brand but that's not really going anywhere either.

He's still employed by WWE but it's fair to say he's already a flop. He hasn't produced nearly like he was pegged to and it seems unlikely WWE thought he'd be a jobber at this stage in his career.

17 Will Flop: Bobby Roode

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Bobby Roode should be a huge star in WWE. He's a veteran with over 15 years experience in wrestling and was a huge hit in NXT as "Glorious" Bobby Roode who was going to sarcastically "save" NXT. For an entire year he held the NXT Championship. He should have brought that character and momentum to the main roster. He didn't.

WWE decided that his flashy entrance was enough to make him a babyface and figured since fans loved to cheer for him when he was announced, they'd cheer for him throughout an entire match. It hasn't worked and the company recently moved him to Raw where he was greeted with not much fanfare. If WWE doesn't figure out a way to turn him heel again and get him going in the right direction, his time as a top-level star could be short lived.

16 Flopped: Adam Rose

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Raymond John Leppan (Leo Kruger/Adam Rose) struggled for a long time in NXT to find the right gimmick. When he finally came upon Adam Rose it appeared he had a winner. NXT fans loved his entrance and he was a refreshing breath of entertainment that the fans at Full Sail University fell in love with.

When he was called up to the main roster, that entrance he was so known for flopped immediately.

There was something about trying to pull off a close-quarters entrance in a bigger arena that didn't feel right. Then WWE tried to get him over by teaming him with a mascot bunny and that was the beginning of the end. Rose was one of the WWE's biggest flops from NXT and he's no longer with the company.

15 Will Flop: No Way Jose

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No Way Jose was just called up to the main roster after this past WrestleMania, so maybe it's too early to suggest he's going to be a flop. The problem is, almost everything about his character screams Adam Rose 2.0. This is not a good sign considering how badly Rose flopped in WWE.

The singing and dancing gimmicks in NXT rarely if ever get over on the main roster and No Way Jose wasn't as popular in NXT as Rose was when he did his stint. At best, this Jose character will have a couple months of a push before fading out and requiring a character change. It looks like he is getting a program with Jinder Mahal. Considering how much WWE likes Mahal, Jose's success might not even last a couple weeks.

14 Flopped: Ascension

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At one time a very popular tag team in NXT, The Ascension have been nothing but a laughing stock since being called up to the main roster. Fortunately for them, they've found a way to last even though they've been used primarily in skits with Breezango or showcased on the B shows like Main Event and Superstars.

The biggest problem for them was that they were pushed as the next Legion of Doom and/or Demolition but the fans didn't buy it. Once that failed, it was going to be an uphill battle to make these guys relevant and instead WWE has made them a comedy routine. Imagine if Legion of Doom was turned into a comedy tag team? Yeah, no wonder this one isn't working.

13 Will Flop: Fandango

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Another dancing gimmick gone wrong, Fandango no longer dances, he just acts silly as part of a tag team called Breezango. While the team has managed to stay employed and find their niche in the enhancement market, it won't be long before WWE will seriously consider future endeavouring this character.

Breezango had found an audience with their backstage skits on SmackDown Live but the team was recently moved to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up and the Fashion Files haven't been brought back to television in some time. Fandango can wrestle and he is entertaining but unless something drastic changes, he's not got a lot of time left with this character. The disco dancing gimmick that was so popular in NXT is definitely toast even though his entrance song was a huge hit on the main roster for a few months.

12 Flopped: Hideo Itami

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Hideo Itami might be seen as one of the biggest disappointments in NXT history. He was signed out of Japan with great fanfare, given a huge welcoming segment in NXT with an official signing and after only a few matches was injured. His return was short lived and more injuries plagued his time in NXT until this latest stint when he was called up and added to the 205 Live roster. The issue was, he wasn't nearly as over in NXT by this time and out of shape.

205 Live is seeing a bit of a resurgence now but Itami is still not over like WWE hoped he'd be.

It seems pretty clear that when his contract expires he'll bolt back to Japan where he'll have more success. Considering how much WWE invested in him being their big Japanese acquisition and how Shinsuke Nakamura has taken that spot, Itami has been a huge flop.

11 Flopped: Vaudevillians

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The Vaudevillians were one of the most entertaining things to hit NXT in a long time. Their unique style, entrance and characters made them fan favourites even though they wrestled exclusively like heels. They were like a fun novelty act NXT wanted to see succeed because they were so different. The problem was, they were booked almost immediately as jobbers when they debuted on the WWE main roster and when they wrestled their first big match against Enzo and Big Cass and Enzo knocked himself out for real, their momentum came to a dead stop.

The team also consisted of Simon Gotch and Aiden English and Gotch was a problem backstage. He was released and went to the indepedent scene while English went backt o his signing gimmick that was hated in NXT but for a lot of the wrong reasons. English has since found a home as Rusev's sidekick but the way WWE is treating Rusev, who knows how long that will last. English has a chance but the Vaudevillians are definitely goners.

10 Will Flop: Rusev

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He's one of the most popular Superstars in WWE right now but you wouldn't know it by the way WWE is treating him and his character. Perhaps no other WWE Superstar has been booked to lose as often as Rusev but with such fan support. He's an underground sensation with his Rusev Day idea.

It's only a matter of time before Rusev grows completely frustrated with the lack of confidence the company is showing in him.

He was pushed like a monster upon his arrival from NXT and given titles and a prime spot against John Cena at WrestleMania. He lost that match and has struggled since. Rusev should have a great career as he and his wife Lana are hot commodities but WWE just won't give them the "Rusev" time of day.

9 Flopped: Brodus Clay

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Brodus Clay actually did something few other wrestlers have done and that's get released in reverse. He started in FCW (WWE's former developmental territory) and eventually made his way to WWE as Alberto Del Rio's bodyguard. His stint wasn't a long one but he was pushed as a heavy with some potential talent. After a three-month absence he was brought back. Unfortunately it wasn't as the monster character but instead, WWE decided to turn him into The Funkasaurus.

The company thought the idea was going to work but it's hard to understand why. His character became a huge joke and he was sent back to NXT where he would challenge in the main events against guys like Neville. WWE tried to repackage him in NXT but it didn't last and he was released by the WWE in June of 2014. The size of his main roster flop just made him hard to sell to fans, even in NXT where they love to give guys another chance.

8 Will Flop: Tyler Breeze

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Mattias Clement spent a lot of time in NXT, perhaps more than any other future WWE Superstar. He worked hard to find a character that would work and was almost released on a couple of occasions. He finally landed on Tyler Breeze and had found winner coming to the ring with a cell phone taking selfie videos of his own entrance. It was fun and he was easily hated as an egotistical heel. Eventually he became a highly respected talent in NXT and the company had high hopes for him.

He was rewarded with a call up to the main roster but his gimmick and character weren't nearly as successful. He was quickly losing to mid card guys on a regular basis. Breeze lost in feuds to Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler and that was pretty much the end of it. Today he's the other half of Breezango and they aren't finding much success either.

7 Flopped: Mojo Rawley

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He's got a lot of the goods that could make him a star in WWE but the company seems to only go part way there with him before moving onto something else and forgetting about Mojo Rawley's push. His latest flop was a bothed breakup with longtime partner Zack Ryder. It could have been big but WWE just brushed it aside.

He was a former Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner but today he's barely part of the Raw having been ignored on the main show during the Superstar Shake-up only to get traded after the show was off the air. His character is pretty bland even though the person playing him has a ton of energy and could be a star. It just feels like Mojo Rawley's not going to make it long-term.

6 Will Flop: Bo Dallas

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Bo Dallas was very much over as a heel in NXT. With his Bo-lieve gimmick the fans loved to hate him and he had great matches with guys like Neville before being called up to WWE's main roster. Dallas is a third generation star and brother of Bray Wyatt but he's not done much since being called up.

His gimmick tanked after being called up and he's now been repackaged as part of The Miz's entourage. With Miz going to SmackDown and he and partner Curtis Axel staying on Raw, it's hard to envision what WWE plans to do with him. He's still young and has potential but the company seems lost when it comes to knowing what to do with his character and it feels destined to see repackaging after repackaging. It's only a matter of time before that stops working.

5 Flopped: American Alpha

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A hugely successful tag team in NXT, it's surprising how little WWE gave them after debuting on SmackDown Live. Yes, they were given a short run with the tag titles but it never lasted and there wasn't a feeling WWE ever took them seriously as contenders even though they could out-wrestle almost anyone.

Eventually the team split and Jason Jordan was sent to Raw to play Kurt Angle's son while Chad Gable floundered a bit finding a new partner in Shelton Benjamin. Gable was moved back to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up this year so maybe there's hope for this team once Jordan returns from injury but a feud between the two seems more likely. This team should have been highly decorated and they flopped badly instead.

4 Will Flop: The Revival

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Another tag team that should be a big deal in WWE is The Revival. They were a throw-back to the old days of tag team wrestling often reminding fans of teams like the Brain Busters. Insiders and other wrestlers had them pegged to be huge stars and loved their style.

They got called up and after a series of unfortunate injuries, and never gained much momentum. WWE appears to have given up on the group and jobbed them out to teams at every turn. They might see a bit of a resurgence after the Superstar Shake-up but it's hard to know for sure of if they'll just keep losing to new teams like The Authors of Pain. It's a shame because their wrestling style is so old-school that it should make them stars.

3 Flopped: Mason Ryan

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There are a lot of casual wrestling fans who might not remember Mason Ryan. He was a part of Nexus in 2011 and 2012 before being sent back to NXT when WWE decided he needed a bit more wrestling training in the ring. He was eventually released in 2014.

Mason Ryan had the overall look that could have made him a huge star but he couldn't quite seem to put it together in the ring. Since leaving the WWE, he has worked some independent shows but has most notably been signed to play a role in a Cirque du Soleil production as the K character. He's one of the few talents who didn't do much at all in wrestling but found a nice career after he flopped pretty hard in WWE.

2 Will Flop: Dana Brooke

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A fitness model turned highly-anticipated signing by NXT for the Women's Division, Dana Brooke has spunk and personality and over time has learned to become a decent wrestler but she's not gone on to have much success in WWE.

She was overlooked in many cases, pinned by the bigger stars of the Women's Revolution and today is part of Titus Worldwide, likely on her last legs with the company. It's a character she's done well with but doesn't seem to like all that much and it doesn't give her much opportunity to wrestle full time. It's likely not long before she and WWE decide to mutually part ways. She could be a much bigger star than she is if WWE would give her a legit shot at a heel role.

1 Flopped: Austin Aries

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Austin Aries is a veteran of the indie wrestling scene and became a huge name in TNA. When he was signed by WWE and brought to NXT, people assumed he'd do well in WWE too. He didn't at all and his time in the company was overshadowed by his attitude.

Pegged as the “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived” he eventually became a commentator for the Cruiserweight Division until he got a push into the main event and a match at WrestleMania against Neville. He criticized the company for putting them on the kickoff show and then out of nowhere, he was cut by WWE. He's since gone on to publicly bash the company saying he's making way more money outside the company. He's holding a number of indie titles again so maybe he was right to go elsewhere.