To be fair Carmelo and Ilja did win their first round matches

People cried that Jey beat Dragunov....but look at the comments on Lyra beating Iyo last night...fickle. So ignore the crybabies.

1-2-3 kid might be the only wrestler to get over with a losing streak

Based off the thumbnail, Jim has a worse W/L record than Glass Joe. Ouch! 😂😂

Literally just watched Bron kill the NXT jobber live and saw this as soon as I checked my phone on commercial break

He didn't lose his first match. On April 8th, in his in-ring debut for Raw, he beat Shinsuke Nakamura.

A new wrestler loses one or two matches & they’re being buried. Meanwhile Lyra wins 3 matches & she’s being shoved down our throat. There’s no pleasing some fans I swear

Cameron Grimes got called up and then was never used. Was the dumbest call up I have seen.

We all remember the legendary Curt Hawkins

Ilja is going to be fine. He’s not unstoppable, he’s going to lose matches but he look strong in his defeat. Bron is going to lose matches as well but he’s still going to look strong doing it. Those 2 are not going to be doing losing streaks to get momentum to get over. Ilja will have a banger with someone like Gunther or Tyler Bate and everyone will forget that kotr loss to Jey

Charlotte once lost to Natalia and under two minutes on one of these goofy flash call ups.

To everyone whining about Carmello in regards of his size, yall better do the same when Tiny Tyler Bate eventually gets his singles push, cause he's small as mosquito dung 💩 and looks absolutely ridiculous working with bigger talent in the ring but yall still cut him some slack. Was yall crying about Daniel Bryan, Dean Malenko, or Rey Mysterio being small? Just shut up already, and give it some time. Most of yall didn't even watch NXT to know that Mello can atleast work correctly.

Ilja has had 3 matches and lost 1 what the hell are you guys complaining about he wasn't going to beat Gunther either so why have the match on raw when it can be built for later.

Didn't LA Knight go on a losing streak last year and the crowd still loved him and got him over?? Sometimes the magic is still there even if they lose

It's a lose-lose situation. Just look at how many people are pissed the Lyra Valkyria is getting treated well. I've loved her and have seen tons of potential since her NXT UK days but I can tell I'm in the minority.

WWE booked Curtis Axel to win his first few matches and a belt, and he got buried farther than the Technodrome. Ilja will be okay.

If you beat Jey with a brand new guy you immediately bury his main event run. The Russian guy will have plenty of time to establish himself as a lower-mid-carder. Then he will work his way up if he has something. Same for Carmelo. The only NXT guy I see them protecting is Bron.

Too many internet wrestling fans seem to think the word "buried" means "loss"

Didnt they all win last week?

Don’t know why but I sometimes call Ilya Dragunov “Ilya Sniper Rifle”.

Losing to top stars and established guys (long term mid and upper mid guys) isn't a problem, as long as the nxt call ups look competitive. They need to be built up and given exposure and recognition to a more casual audience.

Corny got that GLASS JOE kinda record on the thumbnail

They think every nxt call up should be booked like breaker.

He beat Ricochet w his finish

Can’t agree with everything Corny says , got to give some of these guys time coming from NXT .

I really wanna know why The Ascension flopped idk I think something happened backstage cuz they were dominate on NXT then showed up to main roster and got buried hard

Waiting for the No Holds Barred triple threat VINCE vs Johnny Ace vs Janel Shitterhead

Having competitive matches with the top guys does more to get newcomers over than having random nobodies job to them every week in a 2 minute match, especially since the top guys in WWE don't often have competitive matches with everyone underneath them on the card (unlike in AEW...). Rubbing shoulders with the BEST on the roster and getting the audience to view them as the equal caliber as those guys immediately shoots them up in people's eyes. It's fine to disagree with the method, but there's clearly logic to it. People care more about how a wrestler is presented more than simply their W-L record being perfect.

We watched in Lucha Underground wrestlers winning in their debut match. Geez I miss Lucha Underground sooo much.

The thumbnail could be any number of AEW wrestlers that's currently in Witness Protection there in Jacksonville.

LOL carmelo’s first two matches on the main roster were cody rhodes and randy orton. not necessarily on the Job Squad, wtf.

So some people are upset that nxt wrestlers when they’re called up to the main roster lose their first matches? They’re being built up first. And not everyone who watches raw and smackdown know who the nxt folk are. They need time to know who the new blood are and and incentives to why they should get behind them if they’re a face or boo them if they’re a heel.

I feel like a lot of people put WAY too much importance in people winning every match, you can't win them all, as long as there's a win every now and then, it's doable to make a star slowly over time rather than making them lose ALL the time

Ilja lost to Jey. Hayes lost to Cody/Randy. They are losing to the top guys in the company. It would be different if they came in and were losing to Brunson Reed or Karrion Kross. No disrespect to those two, but WWE should be positioning Ilja/Hayes/Bron above that tier of wrestler but underneath your main event guys

It’s logical though. In any sport if you throw rookies into the deep end that’s pretty much what happens. You can get over in a loss. A good showing vs a top guy even in a loss can propel you. It’s not the traditional way to build a new guy but I don’t think it’s bad either.

What about the “1-2-3 Kid”?? 🤔 🤔

Draganov was 100% to keep him and Gunther separated for the time being. Side note: Sorry for joining in on the knee jerk reaction to the art recently, Travis. Wanted to say that publicly. Long time fan and even jumped to your defense when we got the surprise guest artists bc we thought we lost ya. All the best.

I disagree with Brian's comment that " a losing streak never gets any one over". Since being called-up to main roster, hasn't LA Knight lost more than he has won?

Back when I was a kid when I watched Demolition take on say, Lanny Poffo and Brady Boone, I am not worried coz the latter two have no theme music. But if Demolition take on the Brain Busters, I am worried as hell! Those were the days!!!

Carmelo Hayes and Ij AK both won their first match of the king of the ring tournament. So what are ya talking about LOl

Who just made the Queen of the Ring finals tonight? Lyra. A brand new, NXT call up.

Losing streaks do help get people over. It doesn't mean you're jobbing them out for squash matches, you can make them look able but just not quite ready for prime time. Let them seem to improve by gradually increasing their success in the ring and when the fans start to react and pop, you know it's time for that first push.

I cant inagine Warrior putting over Tom Stone or Brian Costello before he went on that tear and beat Honky for the IC title

Can’t have a guy that just came up go over one of your most popular guys

Was just thinking about this regarding Carmelo Hayes. You've gotta start them somewhere before sticking them in an already congested mid-card title picture on either brand, and losses mean the workers in question get to add dimension to their character and don't have presentation hang ups Remember, GUNTHER got that reign because he had all of the intangibles AND he's an attraction that can work a great match. It wasn't the streak itself that made that reign, it was the dude holding the damn belt.

I think it's fine these guys lose to top talents a few weeks after the call up, it doesn't hurt Ilya or Carmello. Wwe is running an angle with Bron being left out the king of the ring, they can't do that with all new call ups.

I think people are just more vigilant of this sort of thing ever since Karrion Kross's NXT call-up. That was one of the worst of all time.

So let me get this straight, yall wanted rookies for all intents and purposes to beat the hottest baby face not named Cody Rhodes and the best and most decorated Vet in the company ??? That’s why you’re mad?? Oh and Lyra won wtf! Bron has yet to lose. Gunther had a 600+ day title reign!!!They’re not all gonna come in and go on a year long winning streak. That’s Never how it’s worked! This is a real dumb argument lmao

Bron Breakker is the one there banking on. They've made him look like a million dollars from the jump and tonight on raw they just shined a light even more on that by giving him the monster heel treatment. But I do like Ilja he's got that intense vibe aswell and he can work a match with anyone and has a natural charisma about him and speaks great english so the promos will translate aswell

Here's the logic for the internet marks When the wrestlers they like don't win = buried When the wrestlers they don't like win = shoved down our throats

Karrion “Gimp Mask” Cross is the first to come to mind.

Brian Myers/Curt Hawkins had a huge losing streak and got over with that roll. Won the tag titles at mania to end the streak.

The only time I recall a losing streak got someone over (not including the 1 2 3 Kid) was in late 1996 through mid 1997. The fued? Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Bret Hart. To my recollection, Austin never beat Bret 1 on 1, but the fued got him over. To me, that is the best fued the WWF/WWE has ever had.

Didn’t they both win first round matches in the tournament?

Well, Cena lost his debut match with Kurt Angle, but they made him still look strong. Then again, he later on needed a gimmick change because he looked too green and anonymous. But I get what he means. I remember when Kevin Owens debuted. John Cena jobbed to him TWICE in the spawn of weeks. It made him look hella convincing. You gotta estabilish your talents if you want them to have a lasting impression.

The match is going to be either Jey vs Tama (as part of The Bloodline story) or Orton vs Gunther, to put Gunther on that next level.

Lyra and Bron have both won. Solo has won more then lose.

I know this is a bit of a deviation from the main topic...but I've believed for a while that the spear is the most overused finisher in the business and Jey using it might be the worst example at all. When Goldberg hit the spear, it legit looks like he's gonna break you in half. Same with Rhyno's Gore. Roman's looks good too (not surprising that guys with football backgrounds have good spears.) But Jey? Sorry it's just not believable that this large cruiserweight is breaking guys in half with this move.

Lyra is a call up and she is in the finals

Ilja won his debut vs Nakamura, then beat Ricochet, before being beaten by Jey Uso, one of the top guys, which isn't bad at all. even being in a match with jey is great for him. Valkyra won all three of her matches since her main roster debut. Breakker won all of his matches on the main roster aswell. so going off the call ups from the 2024 draft Hayes seems to be the exception to the rule and everyone else has a solid track record on the main roster thus far. and I completely agree with Hayes not being booked as strong coz he's pretty bland and needs to improve on almost everything still.

When rhea came up they totally messed up same with shayne k. Cross, garganto and champa, theory, ivy Nile, all were poorly booked

I think the difference between now and a long time ago is that now fans know where a guy is coming from. They are aware of other promotions vs the wwe developmental system, as opposed to that guys coming from.somw other part ofnthe country or world and they know nothing aboutnhom except whats presented. If WWE does what Jim suggests with everybody who gets called up, then the midcard ofnthe main roster becomes equal to the main event scene in NXT. I think Triple H, with few exceptions, is trying to tell the story that NXT champions getting called up to the main roster doesnt necessarily mean they are done learning and ready to compete at the top. The fact thatbthey were included in KOTR says theyre good guysbto watch out for and give a good showing against upper midcard talent like UPPER MIDCARD JEY USO, tells the storybthat they have talent and skill but have some learning to do still before they find their place on the main roster.

They been feeding Bron jobbers.

I’ll never forgive WWE for having Carmelo Hayes lose to Finn Balor of all people on the Monday Night Raw before a PLE

The biggest problem is the amount of people that they have to get over currently. I mean they only can have fin, jd, aizawa lose so many times a night

I think draganuv will be just fine.

Waltman the only 1 remember that lost all the time at the start before he won

Well Jim finally admitted that Jey is over.

Jim's face in the graphic lol Love all the artwork on here

NXT call ups shouldn’t already be at the main event level, it takes time. Also it’s boring if you know anyone new is going to win all the time.

2:54 Jim Cornette praises TK over Paul Levesque

A losing streak worked for Mikey Whipwreck....but that was a weird time and a weird crowd and I wouldn't expect it to ever happen again.

It's just not a great idea to put these call ups in the tournament if you don't plan on having them win because they have to lose

I’ve never watched Hayes or Ilja before their main roster debut. Heard of them, sure. Same with Bron. Extremely impressed with Ilja and enjoyed what I saw from Hayes. Seeing them matched up with bigger names this fast got me intrigued and when they actually had competitive (good) matches I became a fan. I’ll pay attention to whatever they do from here on out. Bron, who I know is supposed to be a big deal, murders a jobber tonight and I couldn’t care less. Not to say I’m already writing him off, as I clearly see what’s special, but just comparing a different perspective. And yeah, putting newly called up talent in the KotR tournament might not of been the best idea. But I’d still rather see that than local jobber and Tozawa shockingly lose to them for multiple weeks.

Look what WWE did to Finn Balor after he came back from injury and having ti relinquish the Universal Champion, mainly Vince buried him to the point he came back to NXT and going back to SmackDown and RAW they still buried him even as United States Champion. Well Vince had him put over Austin Theory and Austin Theory took the belt from him and he later fought Judgement Day then joined the group and he did get a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity but lost and now people are mad that Finn Balor lost to Jey Uso in the Tournament and still want him to be world champion but I don't think it will never happen because Triple H is focus on other talent

Like they Time coming Like you can't win every match

People mad that Jey beat Ilja need to build a bridge and get over it. It makes 0 sense to have had Ilja vs Gunther… 1. Why waste that on a random Raw and not a PPV since it’s “such a big match” and 2. Why have that match w/ 0 build or story beyond “Longest reigning IC champion faces a guy the Raw audience has only seen for a couple of weeks in a 20 min competitive match”? That’s literally some Tony Khan style booking.

This is why we need jobbers, but having NXR as the developmentmental show removes having a reason for them.

Yeah every guy that comes up should beat the entire roster

Yeah I agree with a lot of the comments this debate really doesn't make any sense because you also have the women who just debuted and they are winning so it's not that they're burying all the new wrestlers that are just coming in they're just telling them it's king and queen of the ring it's not your time right now there's nothing wrong with taking a loss cuz you can build yourself back up

Well cena lost to angle; and at the moment losing to jey uso is not being buried in eyes of wwe. Fir me ilja gave jey the rub

Illja Draginov beat Nakamura.

Haha love the thumbnail. Ilja followed up his loss with an absolute jobber promo also where he talked about the Raw roster having bigger and faster guys. I dont watch NXT so this is the first Im seeing of the guy, theyre not making him look great!!

Dragonaf beat ricochet his first match thats why ricochet keeps hitting him up again

It's that mark booking logic of "if they have a great match, both guys will get over." Nonsense.

Shout out to Lyra

Melo and Ilja are doing just fine right now. Interesting when people choose to use or refute the “let it play out” mantra. Now, for Oba Femi 😐…he’s not and/or should not be jobbing once he gets to the main roster. If you watch him on NXT, you’ll know that he doesn’t really need a mouthpiece, either.

Off subject but no one can hype up NXT talent like Cory Graves.

Thumbnail is a Glass Joe tribute... PRICELESS...

So, to be honest guys, is Hayes a top guy? He's the guy who almost killed Austin Theory. Don't forget that. Hayes is just a better version of an AEW guy. He can do all the moves, but he doesn't have good matches. Sure, he'll do something where you're like, "OMGWHATMOVE!!!" Which you forget about in the next match when someone else does that move. Anyways.

I know people are complaining because it makes the nxt guys look weaker than the main roster guys but Jey is very over right now, not like he's losing to a jobber. But for the sake of argument, what's the difference between this and Dolph Ziggler going back down to NXT and winning their top title? Doesn't that also make the nxt guys look weak? Ziggler was a career jobber on the main roster and was having competitive matches with Bron Breaker. Most people loved Zigglers 2023 NXT run.

Carmelo Hayes should only win if the opponents are smaller than him. Watching him beat Baron Corbin is very weird

These lil nxt guys dont impress me. Screw em

I think the problem is not Jey defeating Ilja, but the same Jey who had that WrestleMania match with Jimmy defeating a guy who had a classic with a top tier heel like Walter/Gunther.

Didn't Paige win her first match on the main roster while she was still the nxt women's champ?

John Cena lost his first match. To Kurt Angle but still

Fuck, what they're doing to Dragunov. 😱

Wrestling needs enhancement talent ..no gimmick,no entrance music. 3 minute squash matches..save name talent vs name talent for the semi main and main events.

The people crying about Ilja losing to Jey are out of their mind. Jey is one of the most over and one of the biggest merchandise sellers. Ilja losing to Jey doesn't bury him whatsoever, and guess what? Ilja vs Gunther will happen, it doesn't have to happen immediately like the IWC want so they can cream over slaps and 'strong style' wrestling. Jey right now is the much bigger star and WWE made the right choice.

this is the exact reason no one cares about solo sikoa as the head of the bloodline