PWP Nation’s Zak Fellows explains why criticism might have to take a backseat when it comes to the developmental system of NXT.
NXT has been a popular and successful show since the transition from WWE reality show style to an out and out wrestling show and, honestly and speaking bluntly, how couldn’t it be? With the influx of sound independent talent to mix with wrestlers who have been trained and developed within the WWE performance center, aided by a strong booking team and head of operations we have been gifted with a great wrestling show that has managed to display a variety of wrestling styles.
Of course, it is helped by the fan base: Not since the zenith of WCW Nitro and WWE Raw have we had a product where the crowd is seemingly into everything that the product has to offer from main event to enhancement talent.
But, of course, it is not a perfect 10 but, unlike Raw, Smackdown, Impact or any other televised wrestling shows, I feel less compelled to criticize the wrestler specific issues and not out of blind loyalty. Many on the Pro Wrestling Powerhouse Facebook group have seen me say it multiple times and I will say it for the benefit of those who don’t know that has been my big stamp to void any criticism: NXT is the developmental.
By always keeping that in mind, I have been able to excuse wrestlers for lacking certain attributes like speaking ability, speed, fluidness etc because by being in NXT it can be surmised that they are there to improve upon whatever they are lacking. So if I felt as if, like I did last year for example, Baron Corbin was lacking in his wrestling ability to work prolonged matches than I could hold on to the belief that that would improve over time and with experience with the right people. Lo and behold in late 2015 and one heel turn later, Corbin could do that and be really entertaining.
The same can be said for Nia Jax, pretty much developed in the WWE performance centre from the ground up to be exactly what the trainers and bookers want her to be. And in the first couple of months on prevalent TV, she was ok but in obvious need of improvement in overall ability due to her lack of experience both in the ring and on TV. However, several months later and after facing Asuka on NXT Takeover: The End, she showed great strides in improving herself and getting more comfortable on camera with help from experience, her opponents and guidance she is now a lot better and NXT’s status as the developmental allowed her to do so in a lower risk environment with more of a less critical viewership.
NXT being a televised developmental is really the brilliance of not only the system but the way it has helped shaped my mentality as a fan alongside many others. Aside from the strong booking and mentality that goes into producing the show, it teaches wrestlers beyond the basics of ability and presence and goes into teaching about more… logistical necessity’s that we, as fans, might not think about. After all, a wrestler can be the greatest of all time, have 10,000 holds and can wrestle for 2 hours but how can you apply that kind of wrestler to a show with the restriction of TV time?
NXT does that by putting them on TV and having them adapt their style to TV that yes makes it more of an abridged version of a wrestler’s move set (hence five moves of doom) but also makes them accessible to a larger audience span. With TV comes cameras and it is important to be able to cope with the pressure of being the focus of a piece of equipment that will put you out to the world which NXT also teaches and the most important part of being on the main roster: Being on the road and wrestling on a pretty daunting schedule.
And that, to me, is the real beauty of NXT as a breeding ground in that it teaches wrestlers more about what they need to be to be able to cope on Raw and Smackdown than to simply wrestle. And with it still being a developmental, the trainers can get away with having more leeway and less eyes to take a step back and re-evaluate the progress and direction of wrestlers, even going so far as to drop people off of the face of the earth to do a complete overhaul hence Elias Samson and even Tyler Breeze.
In writing this column, I wanted to stress that NXT status as the developmental does somewhat void the criticisms one could potentially label on it simply due to the overall goal being to improve upon what one of their wrestlers is lacking. It is the mentality that I have had for some time now that a lot of others have taken that allows NXT to not only maintain its appeal as a straight up entertaining wrestling show but also enjoy it on a more guttural level like you view it as a fan before you do a critic as opposed to Raw or Smackdown where you view it as both at the same time. Hell, that’s probably a big reason why I’ve become such a big fan of Shinsuke Nakamura…you know aside from all the other reasons to like the dude.
In closing, Triple H recently said that he considers NXT a brand now as opposed to a developmental.
While I do not mean to disregard his words as if he is completely wrong, in my opinion NXT is both a brand, in the sense that people buy the show and are loyal to the show because of those three letters, and is the developmental because the overall grand goal of the show in the WWE grand design is, and always will be, the same: Accumulate and grow talent for Raw. Like Smackdown being the B Show, it will always be the case with the idea of creating an illusion that makes it unapparent.
[Zak Fellows is trying to create an illusion he just doesn’t know what.]
We are getting close to that whole split topic aren’t we?
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