From a fans perspective, it’s an alternative to the main roster that puts more of an emphasis on in ring. Personally I find it more is an alternative to the main roster then AEW.
From WWE’s perspective, it makes them money being on USA, it’s Triple H’s baby, and it does get guys ready for the main roster. It’s not NXTs fault the main roster fucks them up once they get there.
NXT IS WWE. So yes, it is their fault.
The system has failed.
I think the system does work in principle, up until a crazy old bastard who prefers size over skill has the final say.
Proof will be in the pudding with Riddle, he has everything Vince should want in a top guy, but it’s highly likely he will be a joke act within 2 months in languishing in the mid card.
I don’t think that is fair when the presentation of the performers is different from one to the other. That said I do think NXT fails in concept as a minor league because it isn’t treated like one.
If you are going to televise your developmental I think it only works if the following is true
1.) Characters are consistent between the developmental system and the “big leagues.” You cannot watch a guy be one thing, get invested in the character, then have them act in an entirely different manner just because of a scenery change.
2.). The company needs to have a sports like feel, where wins and losses matter.
3.) The developmental territory needs to be portrayed as a lower level. The expectation for most “call ups” is that they need to work there way up from the bottom, as the champion of the minors is still lower than the low tier of the majors. Occasionally you can have someone come in and rise up super fast (like day Asuka, comes in and runs through the undercard on her way to the top.), but most people should have a long term rise winning their way up through the ranks.
Without that you have the WWE system where if you have the WWE where if you aren’t the best right away, you suck and characters change from developmental to main roster. That is a system that works when you aren’t airing your developmental but not when people have investment in the characters.
If you look at it in the the broader sense, then sure, I can’t argue with you. It is “WWE’s” fault.
However, if we look at it a bit more in depth and are evaluating NXT and the people that specifically work with that brand, my point is that it is not the fault of that particular crew.
NXT is a great idea, and in 10 years there will most likely be NXT brands all around the world that will all act as a feeder system into the main roster. Right now, there definitely appears to be a bit of a disconnect between what these people were in NXT vs what they become on the main roster, but I think we all know why that is. At some point, Vince will no longer be in his current role, and when that time comes this system will be able to work like like Hunter likely originally imagined.
The system works, and is excellent. Problem is you have one individual who picks and chooses when they work with the system.
The NXT UK experiment would strongly disagree with this
Give it time. Once hunter has full control I have no doubt that it will work.
Hunter having “full control” is one of the silliest beliefs that exists in modern fans.
It’s not happening, probably ever. NXT’s failure to capture a RAW / Smackdown type viewership for one thing, doesn’t bode well for the guy who is supposed to take over.
Plus, Vince probably won’t ever hand over control to anybody, unless he sells the company probably.
Also, touching on the NXT performance centres and local affiliates all over the globe… Honestly one of the most terrifying thought any fan could have. This would be awful for wrestling, and kill a generation of potential talent.
When Vince retires or passes on, as long as the company has not been sold, I don’t think it’s “silly” to assume that Stephanie/Hunter will have ultimate control.
I’m not arguing if it is or is not a good thing for the industry as a whole, however this is likely the future whether any of us like it or not.
I also don’t think it’s fair to criticize NXT for not matching Raw/Smackdown numbers, just like I think it’s silly to criticize AEW for not hitting those numbers. Based on how long they have had a national audience, I think both NXT and AEW have done very well.
I don’t understand how any fan or any talent would want NXT centres all over the world to learn “WWE style” or whatever it is they learn (seems to mostly be creating elaborate entrances).
The UK failure is evidence these won’t work. They killed the Indy scene in that market. The brand is dead, and there is no interest. The demand for global NXT isn’t there.
HHH is still highly unproven to me as any sort of creative genius. Anyone saying otherwise hasn’t looked at the whole picture of how very little talent NXT has produced on its own
Unfortunately for Triple H, he’s no longer the only booker who realizes that “just do stuff Dusty used to do” is a money strategy.
If this is in response to me, I never said this is what I want, I am saying what I think is going to happen.
I think calling the UK brand a failure depends on what WWE is looking to do with it.
A) Are they looking for a show to get ratings on the network? B) Are they looking to put on a show that is high quality? C) Are they using it to scoop up European talent? If its A, I believe its a failure. If its B, I can’t speak to that as I dont watch it. If its C, its a huge success, you pretty much said this yourself.
I also wouldn’t say HHH is a “creative genius”. However if he was in charge I do believe he would allow people to use the same persona on the main roster that they used in NXT or the indies. Hunter has shown a willingness to allow people to use their own creations on his brand, something Vince rarely seems to do.
It was put together because they freaked out about World of Sport (which turned out to be no big deal). So years of wasted talent, money and killing a territory only because of concern about a rival tv product.
All of those moves are part of why when the pandemic hit they had to cut so much talent. They have all these people doing nothing in the UK.
Killing interest in wrestling as a whole is also counter productive to WWE and it’s exactly what they did in the UK.
There’s no appetite for minor league WWE in another country. There is for actual WWE. I don’t understand why WWE doesn’t let the indies develop talent and then take it.
I just don’t see these weird global NXTs ever panning out.
I think the can work if they are allowed to function like the old territories. So what I mean by that, is even though they may all fall under the WWE umbrella, allow them all to have their own look/feel/style etc.
Time will tell, I know a lot of fans don’t want this to work, but my gut tells me it will. You could be right though.
What do you find weird about it?
It’s weird because it’s WWE-ifying something that already exists, and has been thriving for the last decade… The indies.
Do you find it weird though? Or does it just annoy you? I’m just curious as I want to understand your perspective, truthfully I’m not trying to be a jerk or anything.
I just don’t see why WWE would want to put their stamp and waste money on something that already exists and serves its own purpose.
They should have far bigger worries than wanting to control a worldwide feeder system that’s essentially already there
I think you answered your own question.
I think it largely locks guys in to their system and gives them first dibs on who they want. But as I said as a feeder system I think it is flawed based on how it is presented. Heck at this point it is hardly even a feeder system. It is a different show under there banner that they pull the guys they want from whenever they want with no story. There is no rise up the ranks or anything of the sort. Heck if you want to make main roster the quickest path is apparently to be in a tag team. I mean you will get to be in the awful tag team division on the main roster, but they polished tag teams from NXT like it is going out of style.
Honestly if WWE wants to keep the their style and envelop talent they should be scouting athletes with acting backgrounds, the main roster requires acting to be great. I mean really they need to drop scripted promos, but if they want to keep them people need to be able to act. In the WWE when we see guys who are bad on the mic it is because they suck at acting, not that they cannot talk. Take Riccochet he was never going to be a top promo, but I’ve heard him talk just fine. When he acts it is painful.
If NXT is the developmental system for the main roster, then they aren’t doing a good job. If any other sport had a farm team that failed at this rate, well, there would be some firings.