WWE: Lacey Evans Seems Like An Ideal Fit For The Main Roster
On last night’s episode of Raw, WWE announced that EC3, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, and Heavy Machinery will join Lars Sullivan as upcoming NXT call-ups. Though EC3 and Cross are the biggest names of the bunch, Evans may have just as much potential as anyone on the main roster.
Lacey Evans first emerged as a potential breakout wrestler in WWE as a competitor in the first ever Mae Young Classic, finding her groove as an anachronistic character who preached the importance of showing class and acting “ladylike”.
Over the months, this character has transitioned into something far less benign, as Evans has started to use harsher language about “cleaning up” the NXT Women’s Division. One of NXT’s most dastardly heels, Evans has contempt for just about everyone who crosses her path, seeing the likes of Dakota Kai and Kairi Sane as the lowest of the low, shunning those whom she believes aren’t “ladylike”.
A holier-than-thou heel, Evans has garnered major heat in NXT and would likely have similar success on the main roster. More importantly, Evans is an incredibly strong athlete and a former U.S. Marine whose strength is backed up by her impressive weighted chin-up.
Evans’s character has become the focus of wrestling fans’ attention over the past several months, with some rightfully worrying that her rhetoric treads into dangerous territory, given that she invokes terms like a “cleansing”. NXT has since back-tracked on some of the less tasteful aspects of this experimental character, and the complaints about Evans’s promos have died down.
Meanwhile, her work in the ring has never been better, as she’s consistently improved since flashing in the Mae Young Classic approximately 15 months ago. Her polarizing “Women’s Right” finisher leads to abrupt, deflating finishes that add to her heat, and the fact that they can come from out-of-nowhere adds an element of suspense to her matches; if you blink or look away to grab glass of water, you might miss the knockout blow. It’s not the best finisher in WWE, but it’s not supposed to be.
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Agile and in control, Evans has the potential to wrestle several different styles, and she’s shown that she can quickly develop good chemistry with the best wrestlers in the world. Evans’s mini-feud on NXT Television with eventual NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane was excellent, as the two kept improving their matches and adding nuanced story-telling elements, which are a trademark of Sane’s in-ring work.
That experience will help Evans on the main roster. Throughout her career in NXT, it seemed like Evans was destined for big things, as NXT liked to protect her despite her status as a relative mid-carder in the NXT Women’s Division. Her character, mannerisms, strength, and improved wrestling allowed her to raise her stock, and there’s a reason why she’s been tabbed as an NXT call-up ahead of more touted and popular names.
Most wrestling fans recognize that Evans has a unique gimmick, well above-average athletic ability, and the willingness to be a true villain, and all of these traits translate well to the main roster. She, along with Heavy Machinery, are “sleeper” picks to exceed expectations on the main roster, given where they were at in NXT.
We’ve seen wrestlers like Elias have more success on the main roster than NXT because of their ability to work an easy-to-read gimmick that generate massive heat. Evans could be in the same boat, and
While Evans isn’t necessarily a popular woman, that fact should honestly play into her hand on the main roster. She’s still improving as an in-ring talent, but she’s honestly “good enough” for the main roster, even if it may seem like she was called up too early. Evans certainly could benefit from more work and progress in NXT, but we’ve seen several wrestlers improve rapidly on the main roster, including those who weren’t even on Evans’s level coming out of NXT.
Concerns about her not being ready are valid, but, ultimately, they can be easily exaggerated, since words like “upside” matter more than “ready”, especially since WWE can take steps to hide Evans’s initial weaknesses as they flesh out her character and role on the main roster.
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Cross and EC3 are the splash additions to the main roster from NXT, but there’s a reason why more fans are talking about Evans than expected; she seems like the type of wrestler who fits what Vince McMahon is looking for and can make those key strides on Raw or SmackDown.