We’re less than a month into NXT’s complete revamp, and it has split fans down the middle in terms of how it’s been received. Whilst the new style and production has had its plaudits, much of the show has made little sense thus far.
The Changes Have Come Out Of Nowhere
Questions have been asked about the future of WWE’s third brand following its loss in the supposed ‘Wednesday Night Wars’ to AEW Dynamite, in which it moved to Tuesday nights amid minimal success compared to their opposition. The decision to change NXT’s format had been rumoured for a little while before the changes eventually came, but in the wider context of the show, the uphaul came out of nowhere.
To the casual viewers of the show, the change would have felt random, especially with the lack of explanation or establishment of what the ‘2.0’ even means, and why it happened, since this is the third or fourth iteration of NXT. Something like this attacks the intelligence of the viewers, leaving them in the dark. If there was no internet news on the proposed changes incoming, people would have no clue as to why the old NXT was kicked out the backdoor.
Everything From Look To Cast Has Changed
The look of the show contradicts everything that NXT was trying to be – a vigilante-type alternative to RAW and SmackDown. The life of NXT had been sucked out to a degree since the move from Full Sail University, and now that the black and gold has been replaced with an explosion of color and brightness, it’s truly a new era.
It's not just the look of NXT that has changed, but the cast has had an upheaval. Over the last few weeks, the show has been swamped with debut after debut, which has made the show quite hard to follow. Once again, there has been no explanation as to why largely featured members of the roster such as Cameron Grimes and LA Knight have suddenly taken a complete backseat to a sea of new faces.
The Format Of The Show Is Messy
The format of the show has been taken back to basics in a way, with a strong overuse of the ‘interruption’ promo. This has been repeatedly utilized constantly over the first few weeks of NXT 2.0, and it's already becoming tiresome and nonsensical. This bodes true for a lot of the show, with things happening without rhyme or reason, such as Grayson Waller randomly being in Drake Maverick’s corner one week, and then branching out on his own and challenging for the Cruiserweight Championship the next.
In the first week of the new show, unknown newcomer, Von Wagner, was thrust into the NXT Championship match, which felt forced, unnatural, and undeserved, especially since in the same night, debuting Bron Breakker defeated someone in that very match. The man who was replaced, Kyle O’Reilly, hasn’t followed up on this missed opportunity either, something which will undoubtedly damage his credibility. The four men in that title match were also thrown into it out of seemingly nowhere too, something which seems to happen often on NXT. This method of booking is scarily reminiscent of the main roster’s lack of long-term storytelling and, bar a few exceptions, a complete lack of planning.
Speaking of Bron Breakker, it's clear that he is the man who the revamped brand will likely be built around. His new in-ring name has been heavily discussed online amongst fans, with his lineage and previously striking name in Rex Steiner being swapped for an apparent poor pun of ‘Bone Breaker’. It’s a baffling move for somebody who is already being pushed into contention for the top prize in NXT, with a feud with the new champion, Tommaso Ciampa, in the works and steadily brewing.
A Change For NXT Was Necessary
A change with NXT did need to happen, especially with the loss of its top star, Adam Cole, with the brand suffering from a decreased amount of appeal and momentum. But the way in which NXT 2.0 has been presented, it could turn away viewers due to its hectic nature and ‘in your face’ changes which will likely never be properly addressed.
With fans likely to become more used to newer names such as Lash Legend, Joe Gacy, and Xyon Quinn, the product will undoubtedly settle in terms of a mass of new members of the roster, and the show will eventually find its feet. It could be a struggle for the existing members of the roster to stand out now that they’ve been pushed to the side, amidst a search for bigger competitors and newer stars, but it’s the path that higher-ups in WWE want, and it could still be a success down the line.