NXT went through a weird transitionary period last year after the WWE Draft called up a bunch of stars. They’ve since righted that ship, and the brand is now arguably more stocked with talent than it has ever been. In addition to established stars like Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Asuka and Drew McIntyre, there are a bevy of indie superstars and — most exciting of all — a crop of homegrown talent led by the likes of the Authors of Pain.
One team in NXT is clearly poised to be the next breakout cult heroes, a la Enzo Amore and Big Cass and American Alpha before them. I’m speaking, of course, of Heavy Machinery, the beefboy tag team comprised of Otis Dozovic and Tucker Knight. They haven’t been on NXT television long, but they’ve already captured the hearts and minds of many NXT fans.
In a new interview with ESPN, Triple H himself waxed poetic about the ability of Dozovic.
“I’m telling you, he’s just got personality,” said Levesque. “He’s a huge stud. Looks like an old-school strong man. He’s already having matches. He’s already got a huge personality. I don’t know he’s been with us a year.”
William Regal backed up those statements, and expounded on what’s special about Dozovic.
“We got him to the Performance Center and he was everything you could ever wish for,” said Regal. “He’s got a great look, he’s an incredible athlete and he’s just bursting with charisma. He doesn’t have to put any of it on, it’s just the way he is. When you find somebody that everything they do is just naturally good, it’s a winner straight away.”
Regal also had nothing but praise for Aleister Black, the former Tommy End. If you picked up on how Black has been presented the past several weeks on NXT television, it’s clear that the company views him as something special.
“You see the ones with the real passion and desire. So I’ve just kept a tab on him for years, the he started to really come into his own the last few years. His name was getting out there, and he was coming to America quite a bit and doing independent shows. We hooked up and I just said, ‘Whenever you’re ready, give me a call,’ that kind of thing. The next thing, he’s giving me a call. He was at a tryout, Triple H has seen him and … yeah, he’s definitely got something that we’re looking for.”
Regal said one of the things they love about Black is that he legitimately looks like he can beat people up, which is not a quality that everyone has. Triple H went on record about his hopes for Black, as well:
“Aleister Black is very talented,” said Levesque. “I think he’s going to be a player.”
If Triple H and Regal are already singling these two out for praise and attention in interviews, we can probably buckle up and get ready for a lot more of both in the near future. As Dozovic would say, “BOOM SHAKA LOU.”
