I don't think anyone is debating that some do better on main than others or that some gimmicks have better chances on NXT or Main. The point of contention is whether talent floundering is due to their own laziness or being held back by management. And even there, no one is denying that some talents probably are lazy. I know that for me, the problem is saying that management gives everyone a chance when they clearly pick and choose who to push and who to job out. Or that WWE is this land of creative freedom and open sharing of ideas when we know good and damn well it's not. It's weird to me that on a forum where people complain about WWE creative constantly that many of those same folks would rather blame talent for basically not changing the script than accepting that poor creative can halt people's careers.
Cody being told he had to keep being Stardust would count as someone being held back because that gimmick had a ceiling and Cody, as evidenced by his indie run, obviously wanted more for himself and was capable of more. Then you have things like I mentioned earlier where the Ascension were immediately turned into jobbers after being called up. Or Tye Dillinger's momentum being halted just as he was gaining some because they don't want the crowd chanting '10,' so he's kept off TV for weeks at a time. Then there's backstage stuff like the story about Becky Lynch having her mic time cut because, apparently, Kevin Dunn hates her accent. Something she can do literally nothing about.
The WWE holds people back. Not everyone, obviously. Many people thrive there, including NXT alums. The onus is also on talent to improve; not denying that at all. Some people probably really are lazy as fukk. But not everyone gets the same chances, not everyone gets to take their ideas to Vince and co regularly and actually be heard, and not everyone is given the same opportunities to improve. I don't think there's any sinister agenda to it - which perhaps is what the phrasing "held back" implies - but just a fact of life in working for a company like WWE. Sometimes they'll see something in you where they'll give you more leeway and chances to improve; sometimes you'll get called up, worked a few TV matches, then get banished to Superstars through no real fault of your own. That's the game.
