Elijah Holyfield isn’t being sent to AAA because WWE couldn’t find room for him in NXT. WWE reportedly wants him to become something the promotion badly needs: an actual AAA Superstar.
After Holyfield’s move led to questions about why the former NFL player was being sent to Mexico instead of following WWE’s traditional NXT developmental path, WrestleVotes revealed during a Q&A that the decision is part of a much bigger plan for AAA: WWE needs standalone talent there.
Right now, AAA can lean on established Mexican stars like Penta and Rey Fenix, but there’s an obvious problem with building around wrestlers who are also expected to be weekly attractions on RAW and SmackDown. That’s where Holyfield comes in.
“They need to create some standalone AAA talent. They can’t rely on guys who are also going to be weekly stars on Raw and SmackDown, like Penta and Fenix. So getting Elijah down there, and he will be known as a AAA Superstar.”
That makes his surprise assignment on WWE LFG look a lot different. Holyfield teamed with Apollo Crews on the August 9 episode before being called into Shawn Michaels’ office, where HBK informed him that he was heading to AAA and would get the opportunity to work with The Undertaker.
This also explains why WWE would make this move instead of simply sending Holyfield to NXT. Penta and Fenix can give AAA recognizable stars when they’re available. What WWE needs next are wrestlers who don’t feel like visitors from the main roster every time they show up.
Holyfield now gets the chance to become exactly that. Instead of using AAA as a stop on his way somewhere else, WWE apparently wants Elijah Holyfield to become one of the names fans identify with AAA itself.
Do you think WWE can turn Elijah Holyfield into a legitimate homegrown AAA Superstar, or would NXT have been better for his development? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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