WWE NXT: Mansoor has potential as a top prospect

Mansoor had something of a breakout moment at WWE Super Showdown despite the event’s controversy. He has potential as a NXT Superstar.

Okay, let’s get one thing out the way first – I did not watch WWE Super Showdown. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it because of, well, everything problematic going on in the show’s background. Yet, I can’t stop thinking about one big moment from the show that keeps getting replayed on Raw and SmackDown, as well as in gifs on my Twitter timeline: the moment that Mansoor won the big 51-man Battle Royal.

Winning the biggest Battle Royal in WWE history is a big rub for the young lad that received a massive pop from the live crowd in the heart of his home country. Because he’s still new, it seems some fans still may not know who this prospect is. However, from what I’ve seen of him in WWE so far, the man has a wealth of potential under the brand’s future.

Mansoor has been wrestling since 2015, but only just started working for and training under WWE a little over a year ago. He was one of eight men who were scouted in Saudi Arabia when WWE was there for the country’s first of many pay-per-view events, The Greatest Royal Rumble. Speaking of, Mansoor actually made his WWE debut at the show with other scouted trainees in a segment with Shawn and Ariya Daivari.

WWE were impressed enough by Mansoor’s work that they decided to offer Mansoor a contract and he accepted. He reported to WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, Florida immediately thereafter, trained extensively and had his in-ring debut for WWE NXT at a house show in September 2018.

From there, Mansoor hasn’t been a very regular, consistent act on television, but every time he pops up onscreen, he continues to impress me every step of the way. He especially impressed me on May 1, the night he pulled double duty for both NXT and NXT UK.

Well, “double duty” might be a stretch, considering that both matches were taped on completely different days at completely different times, but seeing both of his performances air back to back made me think that there was something special to this kid.

Over in NXT, Mansoor wrestled as a babyface against Dominik Dijakovic. He got decimated for the most part, but Mansoor had these short bursts of a comeback every now and again that displayed some true fighting spirit. It connected with the crowd enough that they rooted for him, despite knowing he didn’t have much of a chance against his towering opponent with a bigger push. Plus, Mansoor’s selling was great enough that he made Dijakovic look like a million bucks.

An hour later for NXT UK, Mansoor worked as a heel in a match against Travis Banks. Seeing the character changes between these two performances was like watching night and day. The brash, cocky attitude on Mansoor was believable and suited him just as well as his performance from an hour prior as a young lion fighting hard for a win.

Mansoor has a natural charm to him that allows him to sway the crowd’s reactions whether he wants them to cheer him or boo him. Not a lot of wrestlers these days are so versatile. And we haven’t even discussed his in-ring acumen yet. It seems like he continues to improve every time he steps in the ring and he produces eye popping results whenever he does step in the ring.

Considering that he’s only 23-years of age, Mansoor could become a force to be reckoned with by time he makes it to the main roster full time with more experience under his belt. As a babyface or as a heel, Mansoor has potential to be one of the leading staples of the company.

An argument can be made that Mansoor only won the Battle Royal in Saudi Arabia to give the country a local hero to pop for, but even if that’s true, I honestly hope that the win leads to bigger and better things for the young man. He really is wholly impressive and whether this PPV win signals a push for him or not, this young prospect is worth keeping a close eye on in the future.