NXT: What has it become and will it continue to thrive?

I first watched NXT just over 6 months ago.  It had a freshness and zip in its one-hour show that Raw was lacking.  That was also an exciting time as Zayn and Neville were established in a strong story, and Itami, Balor and Owens were all debuting.  Despite the presence of these Indie darlings NXT still had the strong sense that it was a developmental territory, that you were watching Bull Dempsey, Baron Corbin, Colin Cassidy and others on their first steps of a WWE career.  That was also the tipping point at which change, IMO big and radical change was starting to happen to NXT as it ceased to become WWE's developmental territory and became the NXT brand.

You can't argue that NXT is a success.  Look at the WWE PPV roster and count the NXT alumni.  Hear the pop as Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens debut on Raw.  Feel the new energy that Neville is injecting into what was becoming a stodgy Raw product.  But, with that success, NXT has put its head above the parapet and I feel is under threat, mostly from itself.

This week's episode of NXT featured Rhyno (39), Adam Rose (36 next month) and Finn Balor (34 next month).  The new star of NXT who debuted recently, Samoa Joe, is another 36 year old.  In wrestling terms these athletes are in the later stages of their careers.  They may all still keep going for a number of years, but you can't sell them to me as developmental talent.

And that is IMO a problem that WWE has laid at the foot of NXT's door, and it is one that HHH has welcomed in with open arms.  NXT now has become a touring brand.  It is also a touring brand that is looking to fill venues slightly bigger than other comparable promotions like Ring of Honor or TNA (if it toured in the US) would be planning to fill.  And it has fallen under the hype of NXT's quarterly special events being on a level with WWE's PPVs.  In order to draw fans and to put on the highest quality matches, NXT needs recognisable names and good wrestlers, ones who can go out and give a 20 minute match.  This is not being achieved by an internal development program, it is being carried out by plucking experienced Indie talent and fast-tracking them straight into the top slots.  Here are some names of wrestlers reportedly currently trying out for NXT:
- Johnny Gargano
- Biff Busick
- Taeler Hendrix
- Jessicka Havok
While those names are probably new to the WWE universe, they are all well known in other promotions.  

And here is another issue for NXT.  While it is not developing its own wrestlers (particularly the men), it is still a feeder to WWE.  So, Neville has recently moved brands.  Zayn was apparently about to, before he got injured, and it is said that hastened the Kevin Owens move, which seems to be why there is such a rush now to get the belt off him.  NXT story-telling and its roster are afterthoughts for WWE's requirements.  Which is how it should be, at least 5 to 6 times more people will be watching Raw than NXT.  But, the vacuum is clear.  With NXT big names like Owens, Zayn, Neville and Itami unavailable these spots have to be filled, but they do not seem to be filled organically, by their own creations.

Tyler Breeze is probably the biggest name of what we can consider to be a wrestler developed by NXT.  I think he's good.  I think he's so good that if you put him in a tag team with Cesaro for the currently injured Kidd not many people would notice.  After that we have Baron Corbin, who is acclaimed when he works a 5 minute match and still hasn't had a microphone put in front of him.  And..... well, I'm not so sure, is Bull Dempsey still out there?

So, why does this bother me?  On the surface it shouldn't.  WWE has the potential of putting together some dream matches by recruiting this NXT talent.  Maybe it does it in strange ways, like Balor and Itami partnering because they were both in Japan, when the story might be NOAH's champion KENTA vs NJPW's champion Prince Davitt.  But at least they are in the same promotion where I can watch them.  So, what is my problem?

My problem is that for me in much less than a year, NXT has gone from the hottest show on WWE and one that I needed the network to follow, to just another thing.  And maybe I'm supremely fickle.  But it just feels like it is very transparent now as to how NXT is working.  It feels that NXT is over-stretching itself.  That the taped matches aren't as well thought out.  That the quality isn't there any more.  And you can argue this is a transition because of injuries and call ups.  You can also point out to me that the women in NXT are the best group of female wrestlers in the world.  But if just 2 to 3 of those women (Becky, Sasha, Emma, Charlotte, maybe even Bayley) were called up make the WWE Divas division fresh again, there'd be almost nothing left in NXT.  And I fear that if NXT isn't clearly thought out, it could easily extend itself and in 6 months time in the eyes of fans it could have crashed and burned and will need re-developing again.

Another issue that doesnt seem to have been really thought out with NXT is the funding. Not so much for NXT talent but for WWE main roster talent.

Let me explain.

When WWE changed its model to the WWE network over PPV, the salaries/ bonuses of WWE stars must have dropped. It had to. Instead of getting revenue from $60 odd a month PPVs, they were effectively getting a 6th of that.

On top of that, you have the cost of running the network and making other programming.

Now I appreciate, some of that cost is outweighed by more subscribers than there would be PPV buyers but there surely can be no doubt that the well is much smaller than it previously was.

Now you have NXT which has come on since the launch. People are stating that the main reason they subscribe to the network is for NXT. But they are seeming to be hoovering up the indie talent (more talent = bigger salary outgoing) and are now touring as well. And the majority of the money for this must be funded by the same smaller well. On top of this you have the quarterly specials.

Something, somewhere has got to give surely?

Thanks for the response Adam.

I think the idea is that NXT generates its own money via touring and merchandising. But I'd not have any figures on cost vs income.

To drift away from NXT. I personally would not be surprised if Wrestlemania next year is a PPV show on the WWE Network.

I think WWE's plan is no longer to try to look to bring non-wrestling viewers in, but is to maximise the income they can from wrestling fans. I think that is why they are bringing in these Indie talents, that is why Brock is appearing in Japan (where New Japan has a similar Over The Top portal to their shows).

The math is simple. Next year's Mania will be huge. I don't see how it doesn't beat 1M buys if it is a PPV and should more comfortably be at the 1.25M. Just taking a US PPV price for these of about 80 bucks, that is up to $100M. That is not a long way from what the WWE Network will do over a year with 1.3M subscribers at 9.99 per month!

Now, I'm not saying they will go the full 80 bucks. Maybe it is 20 dollars. And maybe it will be available a week later to all Network subscribers. But I will be amazed if WWE doesn't get the Network to what it thinks is a stable size of subscribers, and then starts to charge extra for some of its PPVs.

When you put it like that you start to think that maybe NXT would benefit from being an extra half an hour long. They have a decent sized roster but its almost split fifty fifty between upper card and lower card that the lower card rarely get a peep in. An extra half hour would allow for another match and another promo to give guys like Jason Jordan, Marcus Louis, Sylvester Lefort and Mojo Rawley a chance.

It should be a situation where when one guy goes up another is able to slip in and take his place, but we havent seen much of that over the last 6 months because of all the top talent thats been signed. We've seen it in the early days from Rollins to Big E to Bo Dallas. That trend has kinda continued from Neville to Zayn to Owens but those guys were already well established before joining NXT, so I agree you cant really say its developmental - even if Triple H will try to put a spin on it.

Maybe NXT could introduce its own mid card title, like the Network Championship or something. It would give the guys in the middle of the card something to fight for instead of just being trotted out for exhibition matches every week or so. I also fear they have the same issues as the Main Roster in regards to the tag division, in that not much happens outside of the titles. They've a few good teams down there, and I was happy to see the return of the Vaudevillains this week, but a team is only really relevant when the titles are in the picture.

I actually think that with all that TV time to play with, WWE could do a lot to get over their developmental talent.

Before / after NXT it would be easy for WWE to run interviews and short documentaries on some of those wrestlers in development. We could get to know them as people and developing talents, because I can't tell you half of anything about some of the names you mentioned above other than they occasionally stand in a ring and are part of a match.

Maybe if we knew more about how Mojo Rawley ended up in NXT. His unbeaten streak, his split with Dempsey, how Tyler Breeze injured his shoulder, what he wants to become as a wrestler. Maybe we can care about some of these wrestlers more as people and it can help NXT develop its own talent, and take away this criticism that NXT is just HHH's Indie plaything.

They ran a little mini documentary thing a while back with Adam Rose in it and it was really eye opening. You learn alot more about him as a person, about his family and his sick kid and about his love for the business. I've viewed Rose in a much different light since then, which a much greater respect for him.

They dont need to go too indepth, but little vignettes recorded in the performance centre would work fine to begin with.

I agree on the build up stuff for NXT, I'd like to see a behind the scenes style show but done not in a Total Divas way of hamming up for camera, just telling it like it is.

Samo wrote:I also fear they have the same issues as the Main Roster in regards to the tag division, in that not much happens outside of the titles.  They've a few good teams down there, and I was happy to see the return of the Vaudevillains this week, but a team is only really relevant when the titles are in the picture.

Do you think the tag division in NXT is strong? I think it is probably their weakest division. The Vaudevillians are a great gimmick, but I don't think they are great in the ring and are best in small doses. Cass and Enzo oooze charisma for their entrance, but my lord Enzo is not a good worker. Blake and Murphy, I'd probably not recognize if they sat next to me on the bus.

So, not getting the Briscoes might have been a bit of a set-back. I've seen recent mentions of TMDK trying out. Dunno what the story of the short-lived tenure of The Wolves in NXT was (I just assume they got offered a better deal), so WWE might not want to go back there, but if they became available I'd take them.

Its not a great division but I think the teams they do have are all pretty good. I'l agree its their weakest division and by some distance.

They'll be able to pick up alot of talent in September so its not all doom and gloom.

Samo wrote:Its not a great division but I think the teams they do have are all pretty good. I'l agree its their weakest division and by some distance.

They'll be able to pick up alot of talent in September so its not all doom and gloom.

not biting

Samo wrote:
They'll be able to pick up alot of talent in September so its not all doom and gloom.

It'll make Adam pretty mad if we discuss this, but.....

I'll be surprised if WWE picks up more than a couple of TNA personnel should they suddenly become free. For me, The Wolves is a no-brainer, these guys are in their prime. I think WWE might feel that if they have only been in TNA for less than 2 years that they are not so deeply associated with TNA and they can re-brand them as The American Pitbulls again, or some such.

Despite his previous release from WWE you'd have to think that Bram has a good chance of getting picked up if Charlotte continues to progress.

I like Austin Aries, but he's definitely towards the end of his career.

I don't think they'd bother with many of them either tbh. Magnus perhaps due to his age but most are damaged goods.

I can't see them signing The Wolves considering they had a televised tryout match with the Ascension and they weren't too keen on them back then.

Yeah, I agree with both of you.  I noted before that I didn't know why The Wolves hadn't been picked up by NXT, I just assumed that maybe they got offered a better contract. I certainly rank them as one of the best duos in the US.

I nearly mentioned Magnus.  But, I don't think he offers anything that WWE doesn't already have.  And I think WWE have been quite vocal that they don't want to hire wrestlers who've made their name in another national promotion.  So, it might be in Magnus' best interests (if he is at all interested in working for WWE) to go to RoH or Japan for a year or two and come back then.  

It might also be best for him.  You just know that the chances are he'd be absolutely buried, losing to Fandango and dressing in drag as a character called "Dippy Dixy"

Roode and Aries could offer something similar to Joe, but I dont think they have the branding Joe has. They could take a few of the women aswell, including resigning Awesome Kong straight to the main roster. Agree on the Wolves. They misses out big time.

Angle could make a good authority figure, EC3 has been excellent and they missed out on him big time. He could do well with them but I dont know if Vince is humble enough to accept that. Wolves would be your biggest target though. Bram didnt exactly leave on the best of terms, so I think they would be cautious about him.

Everyone else is take or leave at this point. Especially guys like MVP and Anderson.

Samo wrote:
Angle

While one of my favourite wrestlers of all time, I do have to say that Kurt is a nob. When his TNA contract was coming up he had his tweets that something big was going to happen and watch this space.

Kurt calls Vince. Vince tells Kurt, call HHH he does recruitment. HHH says absolutely no way do we want to employ an Olympic Gold medalist who is in your condition and hangs up. Kurt tells the world that TNA made him the best offer and he's staying there.

The Wolves are ok but no great pull in TNA. Angle as an authority figure would be depressing. Hes got one or two big matches in him with months of training beforehand, but nothing regular. Hardy intrigues me. EC3 has shown a lot of talent as a character, not sure he would be a massive "get" in terms of ringwork. Aries has the indy appeal that could get him decent merch sales.

Hardy, Aries and maybe the Wolves. Kong as Stephanie's enforcer in a war vs Rousey sounds intriguing, but I can imagine it would actually be an awful match.

For people talking about a tag team to improve NXT apparently they have TMDK in for a tryout, if they don't sign those guys up I'd be stunned

I expect some news to start filtering out of the try-outs soon.  

And NXT need it.  Man the buzz for that show went from white hot to practically nothing in such a short space of time. I get that wrestlers have got injured and called up.  I also get that the focus of the brand has become touring.  

It just feels like the NXT TV went from must watch to meh.   But maybe that's just me.

Uhaa needs to come in soon certainly.

Left-field. But I'll ask this.

Would Dolph Ziggler work as NXT Champ? I do believe that there is a kernel of truth in Dolph not being happy in WWE as he's not going to be the champ. If he decided to leave WWE he'd be a champ but in a smaller promotion.

For him, he can be a champ. He will also be allowed to work the match of the night, he'll be the man, never told to hold back so the match following him will look better.

For WWE. They don't lose a character they've developed to another company. They are looking for wrestlers who can draw for their tours and I believe that Ziggler can.

Just an idea of how they could IMO quickly and easily inject a bit of interest back into NXT and maybe please a wrestler who might be getting itchy feet.

I agree NXT wasn't at the same level in the last few weeks but this show was a great effort once again, I think the four week block tapings hurt NXT over the past month (especially trying to tie together Kevin Owens in NXT and his feud with John Cena), but going back to a weekly taping this week helped keep it fresh.

Theres a visible dip in quality every four weeks in NXT because of the block tapings. I would either get rid of them all together or do less at a time.

This weeks show was good with a lot of newer talent getting a spot. They've actually got undercard stories going with Jordan and Dempsey and Ryder seems more interested tagging with Rawley. The new woman Cassie they've had out jobbing recently is already looking better than Dana Brooke so they could afford to move Charlotte up now, especially with Carmella having won over the crowd.

I think there are a few guys on the roster who deserve an NXT title run before Ziggler. I think it would work in theory, but if I was Tyler Breeze and they dropped Ziggler down to be champion ahead of me I would be raging.

Would you really be peed if you were Breeze? Moreso than when everyone else went ahead of him in the title picture? I mean, its just a title in wrestling, and I could see him working a really good look vs look angle with Ziggler from whom I think he could learn a lot. Plus, I think a major reason to me of not bringing Breeze up is that he is too much like Ziggler, if Ziggler came down there might be a space for Breeze to move up.

But rumours are that Ziggler has re-signed, and I get that, but a little part of me wishes that he'd have had a go at something else rather than being happy sat in the mid card of WWE (and by happy, I mean he'll be whinging on Twitter by August).

Breeze I'd actually bring up to the main roster as Ziggler's younger brother and use them as a tag team for a while.