PWP’s Sherron Watson explains why he thinks NXT has taken over the world of wrestling.
After watching the latest NXT Takeover event in London, it’s obvious that Triple H is doing something right. The fans are crazy over the product; they get behind NXT performers and make it known who they like and who they don’t. WWE main roster fans fail in comparison to the fans of Full Sail and the NXT die-hards.
Don’t get me wrong, an NXT audience is considerably smaller than a main roster crowd, but NXT has no problem selling out. They have no problem getting the audience involved in what they’re doing. It brings that indie experience and takes it to the top.
Another avenue that’s helping the NXT brand more is the show Breaking Ground. NXT was big without the show but it gives the fans a more in depth experience into the lives of the stars. Fans get to see how the show is put together from the ground up. Fans get to know the stars on a more personal level which allows them to get more emotionally invested in those stars.
Fans also get to see the daily grind they have to go through to get to stay on the roster. It’s a full time job and a lot of work goes into what they do and it takes dedication just to get on the card. For a lot of NXT hopefuls the goal isn’t even the main roster. The goal is to just get a chance to wrestle in front of a live crowd. Once they get that opportunity, the goal is to get the chance to wrestle on TV.
NXT has their fair share of established stars who wrestle live events and get TV time, but they have plenty more stars most fans don’t even get to see unless they watch Breaking Ground. Those are the stars of NXT that have to want it and put in the work to get their shot. They have to practice their promos and make their characters believable. They have to practice their entrance and wrestle matches in front of their peers. I would have never known what those NXT stars go through day in and day out to make it in this business.
A lot of NXT talent won’t ever make it to the main roster and some will never make it to TV. A show like Tough Enough doesn’t even give justice to what it actually takes to make it in the WWE. Winning Tough Enough or competing on Tough Enough is only a small fraction of what it takes. And as history shows most Tough Enough winners don’t even make it in WWE.
They have short careers that most people forget about. Anyone remember Maven, Nidia, Andy Leavine, Jackie Gayda, Matt Cappotelli, Linda Miles, John Morrison, or Daniel Puder? Probably but you don’t miss them I’m sure of that. Well, you might miss John Morrison as he was the most successful of the bunch and now wrestles in Lucha Underground.
In fact it’s the ones who didn’t win that have the more successful careers like Ryback, The Miz, and Cameron. Cameron was the first competitor eliminated in season five and she’s the only one on the roster and currently in NXT. So history says Josh and Sara Lee won’t make it. That’s what’s great about NXT. Josh and Sara Lee have a great foundation to be successful with NXT. They won’t be rushed into it. They won’t even be given a chance to do anything until they have proven themselves.
It also helps hopefuls from Tough Enough like Amanda, Daria, Patrick, and ZZ. ZZ is proof that Tough Enough doesn’t give you the full WWE experience. Breaking Ground showed that things seemed to finally click with him once he was in the performance center. NXT is a great developmental system. It helps WWE see who is actually ready for the main roster and it gives the fans a chance to get to know the characters before their long awaited main roster debut.
OVW and FCW didn’t give the fans much of a chance to get to know the wrestlers before they debuted. There were several times a character would debut and fans would think “Who the hell is that?”
And if that character didn’t impress on the main roster they were sent packing. Now they have to impress in the performance center before they are even given the opportunity to get in the ring in front fifty people let alone the main roster.
NXT is definitely changing the course of wrestling and it’s helping the WWE to see who’s going to have what it takes to make it before they get their debut in front of thousands of people. It allows the fans the opportunity to get to know the characters before we see them on the main roster so we know who they are and can be emotionally connected to them.
Triple H has created something special in NXT and it’s only going to get stronger as more talent comes into the performance center. NXT is definitely taking over the wrestling world and fans can’t seem to get enough.
