Maybe A NXT Refresh Is What the WWE Needs
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made an announcement on February 2, 2010 that he claimed would be “the next evolution of WWE.” Out of the ashes of the failed revival of the ECW brand would come NXT — a butterfly that would grow out of the caterpillar that was WWE Tough Enough. The format went through its changes. At first, ‘rookies’ from FCW got paired with wrestling veterans from Raw and Smackdown and they competed in various forms. (remember the Rock Em’, Sock Em’ challenge?) Even then, the format would undergo a change.
On February 27th, 2014, NXT Arrival happened — the first iteration of what we know as Takeovers. NXT would then become a full-fledged developmental brand based out of Full Sail. You had your Bo Dallas’s, your Neville’s (now PAC), Paige’s, Sami Zayn’s, etc. Soon, wrestlers like the Four Horsewomen, The Shield, Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, a revitalized Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura. I mean, the list goes on and on. The WWE had established it's own little indie/developmental brand. Where talent from various organizations, whether it’d be from Ring of Honor, NJPW, Evolve, etc — it was a perfect storm of styles and characters.
As they acclimated themselves into the ‘WWE way,’ there was something rogue about NXT. Something that didn’t feel as tainted from the big stages of Raw and Smackdown. It was a community, and any wrestler that left NXT felt like a graduation. Like when Shinsuke Nakamura pointed at the NXT logo as fans sang his song to him before he left. Or when Paige won the WWE Divas title while holding the NXT championship on RAW. And of course, when then NXT Champion Kevin Owens beat John Cena. The 2019 edition of Survivor Series and Halftime Heat was a dead giveaway that NXT was more than just a developmental brand or the younger sibling of Raw and Smackdown.
But, all things must change. With the move to USA Network, NXT was basically christened as the third brand. Wrestlers stayed more than the usual two-year period. While the talent was still apparent, it became harder to keep things fresh. Part of that has to be due to the pandemic where I would imagine roster swamping had to be kept to a minimum. I’m not complaining about what NXT has given us. Recently, there was the improbable win from Rhea Ripley dethroning the long-conquering Shayna Baszler, Adam Cole and Keith Lee’s dominant championship runs, and masterful performances from Io Shirai.
On the heels of reports that NXT is going to endure a shakeup in format and some unfortunate releases of talent, I’m trying to view things in what they could be. As much as I love watching NXT on Tuesdays, I remember the Takeovers where a new wrestler would be in the crowd. What? Who is such and such going to after? Perhaps, the prospect of what NXT talent can do on the main roster. Remember the Gargano/Ciampa & Black/Ricochet tag team pairings for those weeks? Or when Adam Cole fought Daniel Bryan? Yes, I understand it’s not just an NXT thing. You can’t say that NXT needs a refresh without acknowledging the main roster creative, which is probably why wrestlers want to stay at the black and gold. That and it’s a better travel schedule overall.
There’s an opportunity for WWE as a whole to get better. For them to spurn momentum and excitement with up-and-coming talent to their flagship shows. A pipeline where you can grow with them and buy into their moxie and then root for them against a Roman Reigns or Becky Lynch. But there’s also a chance for WWE creative to sharpen their ideas and make more engaging storylines for Monday and Fridays nights. Now, as fans, we have to recognize that not every wrestler is going to go over. It’s the nature of the beast and there are various factors as to why that happens. If the WWE is serious about hitting the refresh button, they could really make something special given that there is competition out there for others to look forward to.
Iron sharpens iron and this Takeover could be another metamorphosis. Maybe, just maybe, it could be the one that WWE needs.
