In 2010, the wrestling world was introduced to NXT, which was supposed to spawn the next generation of WWE superstars. Unfortunately, the early version of NXT was more of a terrible reality-based program. Eventually, the company revamped the show format in 2012 and was re-introduced as the top brand for developmental talent. Since that time, the brand has produced top-notch stars that would go on to become champions such as Kevin Owens (WWE Universal Champion), The Shield (Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose), and The Four Horsewomen (Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch); however, throughout the years, it’s been noticeable that the main roster has failed to truly produce another star on the level of John Cena, The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
This is mainly due to the booking of Vince McMahon and his writers on the main roster. Whether it’s destroying a wrestler’s career with a disastrous debut (Karrion Kross’s damaging lost to Jeff Hardy), failing to treat the NXT stars as high-level talent (The forgettable debuts of Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, and Ricochet), or the refusal to elevate another the new wrestler (Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka losing their respective WrestleMania championship matches), the company’s track record of failing to create the next star is bigger.
Unfortunately, the final nail in the coffin was put in NXT when the executives decided to bump the developmental brand to two hours and compete against All Elite Wrestling. The black-and-gold brand got some wins here and there, but AEW destroyed NXT in the ratings most weeks. Coming out of the Wednesday night wars, the reported news is that Vince McMahon isn’t too happy about the NXT brand’s loss to the new wrestling promotion. As a result, Nick Khan confirmed rumors that the brand will be undergoing major changes in several weeks. With September 7, 2021 being the reported final day of Triple H’s version of NXT, let’s visit where the company went wrong and how WWE is responsible for killing the NXT brand.
The Refusal To Advertise NXT
This reason is quite baffling. One of the main issues is that the company truly failed to advertise the black-and-gold brand. Prior to AEW, NXT was a hot commodity due to their incredible stories and TakeOver pay-per-views. Instead of trying to broaden the appeal of the developmental brand by promoting NXT, the company largely ignored it. This is baffling because NXT is part of the WWE brand, so why not show some love to the developmental system that could easily help you bring in more money. Showing highlights of their incredible TakeOver events, having a top-level main roster star feud with an NXT talent, or just speaking highly about the project could’ve gotten eyes on NXT.
NXT’s transition to the USA Network was a little too late. It was obvious why the development brand expanded into two hours and was placed on a mainstream network, which was to compete against AEW. Had WWE done a better job of establishing NXT to their core audiences on RAW and Smackdown then it would’ve given audiences a better chance to connect with the product. More importantly, NXT might’ve had a shot at beating AEW.
Not Adapting To NXT’s Style Of Wrestling
Look, NXT is pretty much WWE’s version of an independent promotion. The WWE style has dominated the wrestling scene for decades; however, prior to AEW, the indie scene was getting really hot. Triple H and NXT smartly capitalized on this by picking up the hot indie talents and adapting to their style. At the same time, Triple H never abandoned his craft of well-told stories. Unfortunately, Vince McMahon never did the same. One of the core issues of RAW and Smackdown is that the matches all feel and look the same. I’m not here advocating that WWE should’ve completely transitioned over to the independent style of wrestling.
However, there should’ve been a health mix added to the main roster. Doing that would’ve made the WWE product fresh and in-tune with the current times. It also would’ve helped the new generation of stars like Andrade, Aleister Black, or Ricochet get over. Granted, a strong character is the most important thing in terms of getting over; however, it helps if the talent can also go inside of the ring. Vince’s stubbornness to mix up the styles within his company is one of the many reasons that the product is stale.
Vince McMahon’s Horrendous Booking Of Most NXT Stars
This is easily one of the biggest issues plaguing the company right now. For the past ten years, WWE has failed to create a star as big as John Cena. One of the problems is Vince not properly pushing the NXT talents once they’re called up to the main roster. First impressions are everything, and the reason Karrion Kross’s debut was so damaging wasn’t just his loss to Jeff Hardy, but over how bland and generic his presentation was. Compare that down to his NXT character, where Kross stood out from the pack thanks to his elaborate entrance, and Scarlett Bordeaux, both of which are missing from his main roster character.
Not since Kevin Owens attacking John Cena on his main roster debut or Finn Balor winning the WWE Universal Championship in the first month of his arrival has another talent been given the chance to truly showcase whether they’re main event material. As previously stated, first impressions are everything. Just like Nexus had the world buzzing after their vicious attack, or Chris Jericho interrupting The Rock, or Kane destroying The Undertaker at Badd Blood 1997; the NXT stars are rarely given such a huge moment. Even if they do, the company’s style of horrendous booking more often than not actually ruins a superstar’s momentum. Just ask Drew McIntyre and former WWE stars Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt.The Undertaker
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