In recent weeks, WWE has announced that they, much like many other sports in the United States have done, are establishing a NIL Program, in which collegiate athletes are given the chance to train for various pathways into the sport, in the hopes of being signed and establishing a career. This is another new step in WWE’s revamped developmental program, which began with the recent reconstruction of the NXT brand. With all these new things being put in place, is this a sign of good things to come for WWE, or a bad decision?
WWE Badly Needs To Create New Stars
With how often WWE books themselves and their talents into corners, badly booking many superstars and making them feel less important, less grand, and pushing popular wrestlers down the card, the company has seen a lack of viable contenders for the main event scene. The point of view from many is that WWE creates these problems themselves, and this is certainly a case that can be strongly made.
Despite the apparent company line of not wanting anybody to potentially be bigger than the company name, with the fear that superstars will leave WWE for better options in the same way The Rock and John Cena have done, this may not be the case. When looking at examples like Roman Reigns and Charlotte Flair, it is clear to see that WWE does want people with the potential to be megastars, with the more likely scenario being that Vince McMahon can’t see that potential in many of his current roster members.
NXT 2.0 Was The First Step In A New Developmental Strategy
With the booming success that NXT experienced within the last five or six years, a lot of passionate fans across the country have made many of the talents on that brand feel like true superstars. Former champions like Sami Zayn, Shinsuke Nakamura, Bobby Roode, and Asuka were presented like the elite performers that they are, but upon their debuts on the main roster, many of the top names in NXT haven’t reached the same heights they did on the black and gold brand.
The list of botched call-ups goes on and on, and although fans see these individuals as having all the potential in the world, Vince McMahon doesn’t believe any of them compare to the Rock’s, Hogan’s, or Cena’s of the world. This, along with losing out in the Wednesday Night Wars, caused WWE to scrap their current developmental brand in place of a brand-new version, donning it ‘NXT 2.0’. This was put in place to have a reorganised focus on the specific type of stars wanted on the main roster, with a focus on looks and image rather than raw talent.
Collegiate Athletes Have Been A Big Part Of WWE In The Past
Following on from NXT 2.0, WWE announced their NIL ‘Next In Line’ Program, in which they will create a “clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE”. This move allows potential signees to have access to the Performance Centre and training facilities for skills across the board. Some fans see this as fickle, with the mass number of releases and firings in the last couple of years, blamed on “budget cuts”. Some have questioned WWE wanting new talent when they had a roster full of world-class individuals that they decided to thin out. It is also true that there are countless talents on the independent scene who have put in decades of strenuous work, but WWE has made clear that they are a sports entertainment business focused on marketability rather than wrestling ability.
Former collegiate athletes have been a huge part of WWE’s system in the past, so this isn’t something new. The likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, and Charlotte Flair have been some of the names involved in collegiate sports and athletics before their professional wrestling endeavors. Of course, not everyone will make it, but a newly designed focus could expand the chances of finding strong candidates and increase the number of successful talents making the switch to wrestling.
The NIL Program Is A Great Thing For WWE
WWE announced that fifteen individuals would join the NIL Program, and will undergo the same training as Gable Steveson, who was a big signing by WWE after his Olympic Gold Medal win. Out of the names brought in by the company, there are several track-and-field athletes, as well as football and basketball players.
This is a great positive for those involved. It is a great way to potentially set these younger people up with a career path, and in a time where it is harder and harder for many to forge a career place or path, this is a hugely useful step in opening more doors for younger talents both in the present and in the future, whilst also providing WWE with the type of talent they want. This is undoubtedly a positive thing for WWE, whether fans like it or not.