WWE NXT has gotten over quite well in the last year. They have gone from performing just at Full Sail University to selling out the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NXT is now a brand, and if you can get over with the NXT audience, chances are high that you will get over the WWE fans on the main roster. There are some who believe that a mark crowd in NXT is too easy to please because you just have to pander to get over. While on the main roster, that sort of thing isn’t always helpful.
It is thought that NXT will continue to bring people in that are also still working the Indys. Samoa Joe and Rhyno both still work Indy events but have NXT as a priority. Neither are under an exclusive deal as of yet, but it is thought that WWE is interested in having Joe under one. They also have a girl named Leva Bates in this role; you may know her better as “Blue Pants.”
Originally, she was just going to be an enhancement talent that came in only to lose to some girls and help them get over. However, she got so over that fans ended up loving her and the name Blue Pants stuck quite well for her. This even helped her on the Indy scene, as she was wanted more and it is said that she could increase her rate per appearance because of it.
According to PWInsider , however, Blue Pants could be out of WWE sooner than many fans would like. They claim that she has been making comments that have rubbed many the wrong way. While nothing she has said is claimed to be malicious, she is simply saying the wrong things to the wrong people. She has also made the mistake of speaking out on how over her character is and the like.
Her comments have rubbed people wrong because she was simply brought in to help others along and it was never expected that she would get over. To some it might feel as if she was digging with a knife.
Despite this, Bates defended herself via Twitter after hearing the report.
Guys, don’t believe everything you read. ??
— Leva Bates (@wrestlingleva) October 10, 2015
This was not the first time people were not liking Bates backstage. Beforehand, according to The Wrestling Observer , she was not signed to a deal so she didn’t have to show up to the WWE Performance Center for training and as mentioned above, only continued to make more money on the Indy scene. She is also selling merchandise and not having to do the major split with WWE. On top of all of this, when she worked the NXT Brooklyn show, many girls were upset with her getting a major spot that anyone could have gotten.
She is 32 years old and has been involved in wrestling for about a decade now. She is far more experienced than most girls who have come over to WWE. The problem is that she didn’t have an excellent look and is a bit old for a woman in WWE. Most girls come in before their 30s, but with the addition of Asuka (who is over 30, as well) there is a thought that age is no longer considered as big of a deal.
Many do not like the how she has used Blue Pants in big ways, coupled with her speaking out on how over she has gotten just added to the heat she had backstage. While it is uncertain if WWE will ever remove her completely, there is a thought that they may end up using her less due to her backstage heat right now.
[Photo by WWE/ Twitter ]