Since NXT debuted in 2010, the show has changed a lot over the past decade-plus, going from reality competition show to a developmental promotion and then being buzzworthy enough to debut on television and be considered a “third brand” for WWE. However, amid some surprising talent releases in recent months, reports have surfaced that WWE is seeking to move away from the indie wrestling-friendly ethos that defined it since at least the mid-2010s, including not hiring wrestlers who are too small and/or old.
While impending changes to something as unique in WWE as NXT is worrying, there are actually some changes the promotion should make -- things that have nothing to do with height or age.
10 Ditch The Capitol Wrestling Center
Since the pandemic disrupted pretty much everything about the way pro wrestling shows are produced, NXT has made the WWE Performance Center its home, sprucing it up and calling it the Capitol Wrestling Center. While the crowd is obviously composed of (cherry-picked) NXT fans, the energy isn’t what it used to be in its old home of Full Sail University, as the environment feels a lot more controlled. Given that wrestling seems to have largely gone back to normal -- for better or worse -- a move back to Full Sail should be in order, though reportedly NXT is set on staying in the CWC.
9 Play Up The Developmental Aspect
Along with the releases and reports of WWE imposing a change of direction in its hiring practices, there was also a report that WWE is back to considering NXT a strictly developmental promotion rather than a fully fledged third brand. While that’s somewhat of a disappointment, it wouldn’t hurt if the promotion maybe leaned into the developmental aspect a little more, as part of the fun of mid-2010s NXT was seeing new wrestlers show up, even if it was to be squashed by someone important, and seeing them improve every week.
8 Rethink The Renames
A subtle aspect of NXT that made it feel like WWE corporate product -- especially while trying to compete with the more freewheeling -- is the tendency to hire indie wrestlers with the slightest name recognition and then changing their ring name.
Authenticity aside, the ring names lately have been strangely underwhelming: for every Odyssey Jones there’s a slew of DOA stinkers like Trey Baxter. Meanwhile the competition’s got hugely popular guys with names like Orange Cassidy and Jungle Boy. Even if WWE insists on coming up with new, trademarkable names, perhaps they should consider what actually constitutes a good ring name.
7 Consistent Appearances
One thing that’s caused NXT to become a bit stale is seeing the same old wrestlers every week. While mainstays like Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa are great and by no means should languish on the main roster, it feels like only the most tenured stars are around every week while everyone else shows up once and vanishes. Remember when Carmelo Hayes stepped to Adam Cole in June of 2021 and then disappeared for an entire month? Once he showed up in the Breakout Tournament, it was easy to forget that he recently tried to make an impression.
6 Develop Characters
Even with a two-hour show, TV time in wrestling is always limited, and because NXT also has ratings to worry about, there’s not a lot of time to introduce and develop newer characters. It’s a shame, because that’s what the promotion used to do best. While there are occasionally video packages where characters introduce themselves, what do fans really know about recent introductions like Sarray, Zooey Stark, and even MSK? The backstage skits don’t always do the trick, so it feels like the current version of NXT still needs to better flesh out its characters.
5 Cut Down The Commentary Booth
Since the Full Sail era began, NXT has generally had better commentary than pretty much every other WWE show, though the weakest iteration of the commentary table seems to always be the three-person booth. These days, it’s Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, and Wade Barrett, which means there’s a lot of modern WWE arguing between the color commentators. It feels like every two-person team has always been the ideal on NXT, regardless of who the play-by-play guy is, as both parties get enough room to do their thing.
4 Bring Back Jobber Squashes
If there’s one thing that NXT used to do really well, it’s the classic jobber squash. Sometimes fans just want to see an established character -- even the top champion -- use all their signature moves and put away some local talent or performance center student in a couple of minutes. While there’s still the odd jobber squash, they’re far less frequent these days.
Not only did they give the show a modern take on an old school concept, but they were great for establishing a wrestler’s general rhythm and moveset so those established patterns could be played with when they took on more established performers in bigger matches.
3 Fewer Comedy Skits
When NXT became a weekly show on actual television and not Hulu/the WWE Network, it started to feel a lot more like the average WWE show, which means a lot more goofy backstage skits. NXT used to be a lot more low-key and subtle about its goofiness, which was pretty charming, but nowadays they’re committed to doing fully produced pre-taped skits that aren’t always as funny as they should be. Was there a worse NXT segment in 2021 than Zoey Stark getting grossed out by Japanese food?
2 Maybe TV Wasn’t Such A Great Idea
NXT’s move from being basically internet-exclusive to airing on the USA Network felt like a big step for a promotion that worked hard to develop its audience and provide an alternative to WWE’s other shows. But it seems like, at this point, becoming a “regular” TV show made it less special and closer to Raw and SmackDown. Now because ratings matter, the show feels less experimental and adventurous -- as much as a WWE show can be, at least. While a move back to streaming feels like a backtrack for NXT, they’ve already retreated from competing with AEW on Wednesday nights, so why not?
1 Stay Away From The Main Roster
As NXT evolved into a third brand of sorts for WWE, there started to be a lot more crossover with Raw and SmackDown to the point where they were competing against those two rosters in the 2019 Survivor Series. These days, NXT stars will show up to compete on the main roster while still on the show, and maybe that’s not a good thing for NXT. It clearly hasn’t worked out thanks to instances like Karrion Kross being made to look like garbage while still the NXT Champion. Perhaps it should be like it used to be, with wrestlers departing NXT, debuting on the main roster, AND THEN looking like garbage.