NXT was widely regarded by fans to be a breath of fresh air in terms of programming in WWE throughout all of its different iterations. The creative outlet that Triple H needed, he used the third brand as a means to experiment with different wrestlers, stipulations, and spurn the normal booking of WWE by constantly pushing fan favorites. It was a stark contrast to Monday Night Raw or Friday Night Smackdown, but unfortunately it all came to an end when NXT lost to AEW Dynamite in the Wednesday Night Wars.
Now another extension of McMahon's power, NXT 2.0's rebranding has been nothing short of controversial with just about every wrestling fan. There have been positives and negatives to it, with it seemingly leaning closer to the negative side for most viewers as it shifted into its newer format. Regardless, it is important to look at both aspects of the changes, as there are many ways to look at the newly rebooted brand.
10 Worse: Almost No Veteran Presence
As part of a recent mass exodus of talent due to "budget cuts", there is now a huge hole in the Performance Center's training department. Coaches like Jesse James, William Regal, and Ace Steel among many others are now gone, something that was shocking to a lot of fans as they were integral to the developmental process behind NXT. Furthermore, these were thought to be some of Triple H's most trusted confidants in the entire company. It is unfortunate to se them gone, and they will be sorely missed as part of the training staff at the PC.
9 Better: Usage Of Rookies
An aspect that has been commended by most of the wrestling community has been the program's usage of new Superstars that do not have a lot of experience. In fact, both of the reigning men's singles championships are held by wrestlers who have less than 10 combined years in the business. This is in sharp contrast to former NXT wrestlers like Samoa Joe and Shinsuke Nakamura, who had already established themselves on the independent wrestling scene for so long. It is nice to see newcomers like Ivy Nile and Bron Breakker get time despite their relatively new status as pro-wrestlers and it is fun to speculate on what will happen in the future to some of these stars.
8 Worse: Aesthetic Is Too Bright
Aesthetically, NXT 1.0 had always been presented with a dark undertone and took itself very seriously. The only recently developed "Capitol Wrestling Center" where all of its episodes are taped was dimly lit in the crowd and mainly stuck to dark colors as part of the look. NXT 2.0's rebranding also changed this, as now it is adorned with extremely bright colors and the logo is adorned with paint splatters. It is honestly a bit jarring, and feels like another one of the most unnecessary changes to the entire brand, but it could just be part of the overall need to reset NXT.
7 Better: Longer Title Reigns
Towards the end of NXT 1.0's run, there was a bad habit of the championships being hot-potatoed around wrestlers. The NXT North American Championship, for example, had several holders of the title in just a matter of months, as the brand started to lack direction. While it was nice to see volatility to the title picture, most will agree that longer title reigns are almost always superior to short ones, as it can mean that holding a championship for so long will put you into exclusive company. Ever since the change to 2.0, both the North American and NXT World Championships have become stabilized as Carmelo Hayes and Bron Breakker are in runs already surpassing 100 days as of this writing.
6 Worse: Gunther
Sometimes, Vince McMahon can make pointless changes to wrestlers just for the sake of it. This is one of those instances, as the former NXT UK Champion and beloved big-man Walter was given a renaming to become Gunther. The move was widely panned as one of the worst moves that the company has made to a character, who already has so many mazing matches with the company. The name Walter had already been established and while it would seem trivial to the outside eye, he carries a lot of clout in the business. It is a shame to see such a needless change to a great wrestling star.
5 Better: Mandy Rose's Rise
Mandy Rose was seemingly on an endless run of cut storylines, bad writing and almost no time to develop her in-ring work as part of the main roster. Sure, her run with Otis was a nice story for the time being, but it led to nothing substantial for her. In NXT 2.0, however, her faction Toxic Attraction has quickly become the talk of the wrestling world as many feel like she has finally got her chance to turn into the star that they believed she could be.
4 Worse: The Cruiserweight Championship Disappearing
While 205 Live has been squandering in mediocrity for the better part of the last half decade (although there were ways that WWE could have saved it) there is still a current desire to see cruiserweight action in WWE. Unfortunately, it seems like any emphasis on the division has disappeared along with the Cruiserweight Championship itself as it was unified with the North American Championship with the latter keeping the name.
It is a huge shame because while the division has been plagued with unfortunate circumstances and just bad luck, it felt like wrestlers like Santos Escobar and Roderick Strong were keen on giving the belt the attention it deserved.
3 Better: Focus Has Been Put On Developmental, Not Competing With AEW
Now that the brand has shifted its focus away from competing with AEW, there is now some breathing room for the brand to succeed for its initial intention; a developmental program. Perhaps now that there is a lot less pressure on the wrestlers, writers and producers, there can be more room for error and growth for the competitors. It is best this way, since Dynamite is a flagship show of their company while NXT is the 3rd brand, and thus, should never have been deemed as competition in the first place really.
2 Worse: The Exit Of So Many Stars
As mentioned before, there was a massive set of layoffs that occurred in WWE, and NXT was not safe either. However, there was also a quick succession of call-ups to the main roster that included Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, and Matt Riddle while at the peak of their NXT runs.
While Riddle is enjoying moderate success on the Raw, the other two, along with Johnny Gargano, Aleister Black (Malakai), Andrade Almas, Tyler Breeze, Fandango and so many more, are now gone from the company.
1 Better: Bron Breakker
The best part of the new NXT 2.0 has been the arrival of Bron Breakker. The son of Rick Steiner, and thus the nephew of Scott Steiner, it would appear as though as Bron has been bred to be a wrestler. Currently, he is in the midst of his first ever championship reign as NXT World Champion and has impressed just about everyone. While he now holds one of the nicest looking world championships in the world, it is clear that he is a star in the making only 2 years into his young career. It is unclear if he would've had the same massive push if NXT was still in its 1.0 form.