Feed Source: Bleacher Report

The Tyson Kidd show is WWE's best off-Broadway production going.

At the bottom of the card, on the company's lesser-seen shows, Kidd is the making the case that he needs to be a higher priority. Find him a cut of center stage: His athletic prowess and evolving character demand as much.

The swift-footed Canadian was once relegated to the "underrated" category. He was a skilled ring worker who appealed to purist fans but didn't have enough beyond that to move past his eye-catching peers.

CM Punk famously gave him a shout-out on Raw, calling him WWE's workhorse.

That label, like the "underrated" one, is definitely a compliment, but it's no substitute for getting real opportunities onscreen. Kidd would likely much rather be called "champion."

That may soon happen. No longer just a marvel in the ring, Kidd is becoming one of the more intriguing personas on the roster. That's not something one would have imagined before he tore his ACL, but that element of his game is catching up to his wrestling.

Reason one, though, that Kidd deserves a bigger push is what he does between the ropes.



In-Ring Excellence

On the mat and in the air, Kidd is one of WWE's best. That's something NXT fans know better than anyone else.

He has spent a good chunk of his time at WWE developmental over the course of the year. Rather than just regard the move there as a sign of a failed career, he's made it a way to showcase himself.

Some of his best matches have come under the Full Sail University lights.

He's had strong showings against Sami Zayn, their clash on the Oct. 16 edition of NXT for example. It's his work against Adrian Neville, though, that has most allowed him to impress. Their chemistry has led to a number of NXT's 2014 highlights.

Take their collision on June 16.



Kidd, a desperate man at the time, fought for the NXT Championship as if it was the lifesaver floating next to his sinking ship. He zipped around the ring—focused, intense, on a mission.

A dropkick and flipping onto Neville while he was caught up in the ropes wasn't enough to capture the title. It sure added to Kidd's resume, though.

At NXT Takeover he and Neville put on a standout performance. Justin James of PWTorch wrote of it, "Kidd and Neville were a fantastic match for each other." Their next match at a NXT live special was even better.

Zayn and Tyler Breeze joined the fun in a four-man contest at NXT Takeover: Fatal 4-Way. Dave Meltzer awarded that bout 4.5 out of 5 stars in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t ProFightDB.com).

Kidd, though, isn't getting a chance to do that kind of work on Raw. Instead, he's been mostly working Superstars and Main Event in addition to NXT. He's shining on those stages.

Watch him take on Curtis Axel or battle R-Truth, and it's easy to start envisioning gold around his waist.

Fans, WWE alum and writers are noticing what he's been accomplishing as of late. Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald had high praise for him:



The same is true for former WWE Superstar Michael Tarver. He gave Kidd quite the hat tip on Twitter:



If Kidd wasn't just doing his great work on the mat, one could understand WWE not wanting to take a chance on him. Stardom in wrestling is about more than wristlocks and moonsaults; it's about connecting with the crowd.

Kidd is doing that in a unique way.



A Heel Character Like No Other

There have been cowards and jerks along the WWE timeline, but not quite like Kidd. He has become more of a pathetic, unlikable character than a true villain.

He's just a frustrated wrestler, struggling to step out of his wife's shadow. Fans chant "Nattie's husband!" at him or worse yet, "Nattie's better!" That's the entry point his character was missing for so long.

Now fans have a way to try and eat at him, and he has a reason to be an absolute jackass.

His aggression has gone up slowly over time. He's becoming more nasty, pushing his hand into his opponent's face when he applies the Sharpshooter, for example.

Cheating also isn't just something he does because he's a heel. He does it because he's not sure he can win otherwise, and he long ago tossed out his moral code. A victory is a victory now; there is no tainting that.

That has included cheap ploys involving Natalya. As he did in a recent bout against Kofi Kingston, he has taken to using his wife as a shield.



This adds a layer to his character that WWE can easily take advantage of. There's no need to tell a story from scratch. The company can just continue what he began at NXT, having him descend further into jerkdom in the pursuit of glory.

It's a role that fits him snugly. The folks at Wrestling Inc are among the many who have noticed:



Take all his smugness, his disregard for his wife and easy-to-buy-into motivations, and you have a complete and complex character worth paying attention to. His strong affection for his cats only adds to that.



Merging this onscreen persona with his in-ring skills has made Kidd a valuable commodity. He needs to be taking his act to bigger stages.

WWE needs to point the camera his way. He's an extra doing lead-role work.

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