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Post by BØRNS on Sept 16, 2016 23:59:33 GMT -5
I might be making some bold claims, but I believe NXT's best days as a developmental brand are behind it. NXT has undoubtedly produced the next generation of WWE "superstars" and has done a very good job at it, with 47 total NXT alums (65% of the active main roster!). However, with so much change in WWE with the brand split, introducing new championships, calling up an unprecedented portion of the roster the past 6 months, it leaves me to believe there are major changes to come for NXT. The question becomes "can NXT continue to develop stars at the rate it has?". Before discussing different possibilities, I think it's wise for NXT to remain on the WWE Network as that "hidden gem" of WWE which is exclusive to Network subscribers. Here are the scenarios that NXT could face:
1) NXT will remain a small developmental brand Like I said, I think NXT in this capacity has peaked. It has produced an entire generation of active WWE superstars, including 47 current main-roster NXT alums, but will never return to its hype of its past two years. With all the WWE and NXT signings, along with the CWC acquisitions to Raw, the independent wrestling scene has been all but gutted of its top worldwide talent and there simply aren't enough wrestlers to introduce to the yellow brand. Yes, there is still talent out there, but the odds of WWE dropping the A-bomb and signing all of Lucha Underground, ROH, or NJPW is unlikely. Its only saving grace is that the show is 1 hour long and doesn't require that many wrestlers. But, the "WWE Universe" has come to expect unrivaled NXT Takeover specials, which is hard to do with such a thin roster will little star power. But with the function of NXT being a transitional purgatory-like holding area for talent, it could continue to take outside wrestlers or fresh recruits and feed them to the main roster, it just might not be the attraction it once was.
2) NXT will expand to a comparable Raw/SD brand If the NXT brand can no longer sustain itself with either a small number or low quality of talent, then they can draft Raw/SD wrestlers to NXT to be showcased there to rival Raw/SD. WWE began sharing main-roster talent in NXT since its inception, but rather than being used as enhancement talent to work with green wrestlers, they can truly be valuable and competent members of the roster. NXT should remain on the WWE Network imo as a fantastic way for non-subscribers to continue seeing their favorite wrestlers once they've moved there. NXT already has their own exclusive PPV/Network events which aligns with the division of PPVs for Raw/SD brands. It's just a matter of whether WWE wants to go all-in on expanding NXT's roster, making it a potential 2-hour show, and moving some bigger names there (just imagine John Cena being exclusive to NXT?). It's definitely bold, but it could be crazy enough to work. Just throwing ideas out there.
3) NXT will be absorbed into Raw/SD Most unlikely, but still possible, if NXT is starved for talent and WWE does not want to create a true third brand, WWE could kill NXT like they did ECW. With a large portion of NXT being called up to the main roster within the past six months, and the roster being the thinnest it's been in years, it might be logical to end the concept (after all, it served its function well and it would be sad to see it degrade to nothing). But I don't see that happening, and like I mentioned many times, NXT is valuable as a part of the Network and diversifies WWE's offerings. It's brand identity is strong and has been a symbol of WWE counterculture so much so that a lot of WWE's audience says NXT's Network events are among the best of the year.
What's your take on this?
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Post by Rude Awakening on Sept 17, 2016 0:12:44 GMT -5
I think Nxt is slowly dieing........I really think it's better to not telvise developmental. The nxt women have been raided and the men are just guys from other promotions.
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Post by BØRNS on Sept 17, 2016 0:17:32 GMT -5
I think Nxt is slowly dieing........I really think it's better to not telvise developmental. The nxt women have been raided and the men are just guys from other promotions. So which would you like to see happen from the 3 proposed options?
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Post by Rude Awakening on Sept 17, 2016 0:21:50 GMT -5
I think Nxt is slowly dieing........I really think it's better to not telvise developmental. The nxt women have been raided and the men are just guys from other promotions. So which would you like to see happen from the 3 proposed options? oh sorry lol, I think option 3.
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Sept 17, 2016 0:25:31 GMT -5
The problem with NXT is that a year or so ago, they had so much talent, but now its up on Raw and Smackdown and they didn't have time to build any new stars to replace them.
Sure, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami and Samoa Joe are all great workers, and polished ring veterans. They will no doubt be on Raw and Smackdown within a year from now.
As for the ladies in NXT, they moved everyone up so far that it left nobody to challenge Asuka. They should have kept Alexa Bliss in NXT a while longer, maybe given her a run at Asuka before bringing her up. Because as much as I like Liv Morgan, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, they never got the time to shine at all because the spotlight was always on Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky, and then Bayley, Asuka, Dana and Emma. So now, the NXT brand is left with trying to build up the ladies and fast, so Asuka can have some credible challengers.
NXT will crumble at its own success. Because eventually there just won't be anyone there. NXT will resemble ECW on its dying days. Where yes, its still cool, and you wanna chant those 3 letters, and love the product, but its clearly not the same as its hey-day.
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Post by BØRNS on Sept 17, 2016 0:49:49 GMT -5
The problem with NXT is that a year or so ago, they had so much talent, but now its up on Raw and Smackdown and they didn't have time to build any new stars to replace them. Sure, Austin Aries, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami and Samoa Joe are all great workers, and polished ring veterans. They will no doubt be on Raw and Smackdown within a year from now. As for the ladies in NXT, they moved everyone up so far that it left nobody to challenge Asuka. They should have kept Alexa Bliss in NXT a while longer, maybe given her a run at Asuka before bringing her up. Because as much as I like Liv Morgan, Billie Kay and Peyton Royce, they never got the time to shine at all because the spotlight was always on Sasha, Charlotte, and Becky, and then Bayley, Asuka, Dana and Emma. So now, the NXT brand is left with trying to build up the ladies and fast, so Asuka can have some credible challengers. NXT will crumble at its own success. Because eventually there just won't be anyone there. NXT will resemble ECW on its dying days. Where yes, its still cool, and you wanna chant those 3 letters, and love the product, but its clearly not the same as its hey-day. I hope it's not the case, but yeah I can see WWE just letting it die only to spend so much effort to come up with something to replace it.
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Post by ~ Cymru ~ on Sept 17, 2016 5:23:01 GMT -5
As much as I like NXT the top guys have always been guys who've come in with a pre-built fanbase, Owens, Zayn, Balor, Joe those guys could have just debuted kn smackdown or raw and would have gotten over.
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BigT
Main Eventer
Joined on: Dec 20, 2004 23:10:09 GMT -5
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Post by BigT on Sept 17, 2016 6:06:42 GMT -5
Any developmental brand/program is going to go through ebbs and flows when the higher level people move on. NXT serves an important and valuable tool because not only does it allow some big names from outside the WWE to get their feet wet with the company or build on a couple of necessary areas (be it adapting to the WWE style or improving their English and English usage) but - and perhaps more importantly - it provides an environment for the young guys and girls in the performance centre to learn from the experienced vets. If we kept the old FCW model, there's no way these young trainees could learn from the likes of Samoa Joe and Austin Aries. This along with the Performance Centre might end up being the most valuable aspect of the NXT model for the WWE.
NXT might be able to reach the heights when Owens, Zayn, Finn and the Horsewomen were all there, but even if it doesn't it's not the end of the world. NXT was never meant to be as big as it is, but since the demand was there WWE took advantage of it. If NXT is must watch, then they sell more Network subscriptions. But it's value as a developmental program will keep it running regardless. And honestly, those in charge will learn how to use it a bit better. They've never really had to worry about their feeder system keeping momentum like they do now, so it'll take a while for them to work out just how many people they can call up at once without losing too much.
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Post by IRS on Sept 17, 2016 6:25:03 GMT -5
I think #1 is most likely. I definitely don't see it dying just because the top stars go to the main roster. I mean, their main purpose is to develop people so they can move up to the main roster.
While we've been absolutely spoiled with guys and gals like Bálor, Joe, Nakamura, Zayn, Owens, Asuka and the like, people should remember that most of them - excluding Sami - came in after NXT was already massively picking up steam in early 2014, and what made it popular in the first place was less the names and more the quality of product they were producing. Plus, there will always be some hot new indie names down the road they can scoop up to pad it out.
Frankly, I think they could benefit from having less established indy guys on the card and focusing more on pushing the Bo Dallas's, Leo Krugers, Bayleys, Sashas, and Tyler Breezes of the roster like they were when the weekly show began in 2013, with a big name guy or two sprinkled in. Granted, with them blowing up like they have and becoming a touring brand, there's a good chance they just keep signing any semi-big name they can get to keep selling tickets.
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Post by Next Man’s Knowing Rock on Sept 17, 2016 6:59:42 GMT -5
NXT has been a pretty awful developmental system since it took off as the SUPERINDIE thing. Fine for giving guys a few months polish like Kevin Owens, but other than that, it's done little in terms of stars or development. Finn Balor spent almost two years in NXT and hasn't improved much at all. Tyler Breeze is good, but they didn't transition him well to the main roster at all. It seemed like he was called up at a bad time just to shoehorn the scene into Breaking Ground. Baron Corbin is one of their top prospects but was underdeveloped in NXT because the big shows there are all about the darlings. He was called up before he was ready, but would he ever have been ready given how NXT works? Similar story with Apollo Crews, although for him it's more finding his persona and that could/should happen if he'd spent longer in NXT.
The tag teams and the women have thrived under the NXT system, but as far as top singles wrestlers, they definitely haven't found a working formula. The title scene is often built around guys who are about the same age as John Cena and Randy Orton. John Cena and Randy Orton were in developmental fifteen years ago.
As NXT has gotten bigger as a brand, in a way it's regressed as a developmental. Although the older system didn't work too well at creating main eventers either -- being top guys in NXT didn't mean much for Neville, Bo and Big E on the main shows.
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Post by BSR on Sept 17, 2016 17:50:28 GMT -5
Everyone overhyping it for so long was the problem.
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Post by Rob on Sept 17, 2016 18:06:04 GMT -5
The problem with NXT now is they aren't building up young up and coming superstars. I understand we are in a huge indy craze right now but this is such terrible long term investing for the future of WWE. What happened to the days of bringing in guys in their early/mid 20s and building them up to carry the future of WWE? Look at guys like Orton/Cena, They've been with WWE for 14+ years now and are still only in their late 30s. Meanwhile we have guys their age ad even older in the DEVELOPMENTAL territory of WWE right now. Its just bad planning for the future if you ask me. I can understand AJ Styles situation, Clearly they brought him in as a huge deal but why are guys like Joe/Roode/Aries in developmental?
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Post by underoos on Sept 17, 2016 20:32:23 GMT -5
I love nxt but the weekly shows on TVs are barely watchable, good thing they are only an hour long! But the Takeover stuff is better than most wwe ppvs, I say once Nakamura and Joe leaves, I could lose alot of interest in nxt
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Post by Sizzle on Sept 17, 2016 22:01:36 GMT -5
NXT got too big for its own good. They need to start with true developmental and not just "INDY SUPERSHOW". Indy guys should be mixed in with developing guys like Sami Zayn, instead of overshadowing them.
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Post by AxelSmackdown on Sept 17, 2016 22:53:04 GMT -5
Maybe WWE will end up buying TNA and then put those guys and gals in NXT
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Deleted
Joined on: Apr 18, 2024 23:04:27 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Sept 17, 2016 23:05:12 GMT -5
I only watch some episodes, and all the takeovers, but I also post in the Spoilers, and I'm definitely gonna watch the next coming weeks. Trust me. Also why the is Biff Busick called Oney Lorcan!? That name is chit.
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voicesinmyhead
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 4, 2009 19:21:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,486
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Post by voicesinmyhead on Sept 18, 2016 10:03:43 GMT -5
NXT got too big for its own good. They need to start with true developmental and not just "INDY SUPERSHOW". Indy guys should be mixed in with developing guys like Sami Zayn, instead of overshadowing them. Are you saying Sami Zayn was developmental and not indy? El Generico says hi...
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Post by BSR on Sept 18, 2016 10:07:26 GMT -5
NXT got too big for its own good. They need to start with true developmental and not just "INDY SUPERSHOW". Indy guys should be mixed in with developing guys like Sami Zayn, instead of overshadowing them. Are you saying Sami Zayn was developmental and not indy? El Generico says hi... El Generico is retired and living in Mexico.
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Post by marino13 on Sept 18, 2016 10:47:19 GMT -5
1. I think NXT will most likely stay a developmental brand. It's done a fantastic job building up new talent and preparing them for the main roster. I don't see it going anywhere.
Sure it's gonna have highs and lows, but Triple H seems to really know what he's doing so far. It'll take some time, but I'm sure they'll rebound. There is no way any company could lose Zayn, Owens, Corbin, Crews, Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Bayley, Enzo, Cass, & American Alpha and not take a drastic step back.
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Post by Sizzle on Sept 18, 2016 11:09:46 GMT -5
NXT got too big for its own good. They need to start with true developmental and not just "INDY SUPERSHOW". Indy guys should be mixed in with developing guys like Sami Zayn, instead of overshadowing them. Are you saying Sami Zayn was developmental and not indy? El Generico says hi... No I'm not. I said when there were Indy guys mixed in like when Zayn was it was better. It's been overtaken by indy guys and all developmental guys are being pushed back in favor of the indy guys.
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