Since the rise of NXT as a developmental brand, WWE itself has changed quite a bit. Before, there was never really an emphasis on televising Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), where a lot of the current superstars come from. It was very different from what NXT would become, and whether that’s a good or bad thing – you decide.
However, we firmly believe that it’s the former. While OVW and FCW did have “smaller spaces” that gave upcoming superstars lesser room for mistakes, the organized system of the WWE Performance Center and newer methods of training have created a system of its own. With the opening of the Performance Center, a new era truly began for WWE, as trainees and aspirants were given access to a world-class facility for exercising, training, practicing promos, and more.
The NXT television changed from a game show to a regular program, featuring not only up-and-comers but international superstars and independent stars with a ‘major buzz from the wrestling world outside. Slowly but surely, NXT began to increase its reputation and became a favorite on the WWE Network.
It was something new. It was something different. We saw a lot of fresh, exciting names come to the forefront, and the weekly TV became the hottest thing in wrestling. Critically acclaimed, NXT featured incredible Takeover specials, with not only great quality matches but with that, came more opportunity for women and the introduction of actual female wrestlers on the roster.
The emphasis stopped being about just character but having genuinely great matches. The fact that it took place at Full Sail University meant that there was a hardcore fanbase that would come into every taping and were emotionally invested in characters. Along with the Full Sail fans, anyone watching became quite easily invested in the characters being pushed, and there was always the statement made by every fan, saying “I can’t wait to see how they’ll do on the main roster”.
Naturally, this was and still is an exciting prospect. You’re essentially watching a superstar on the rise and showcasing their talent before they reach the big stage. It’s easy to be excited about what the possibilities for certain superstars are on the biggest stage and how they can handle it all under the brighter lights of RAW and SmackDown.
However, it’s not always worked out as we’ve hoped. We’ve seen male and female superstars thrive in NXT, establishing themselves as future prospects, but when called up, expectations aren’t necessarily met. There are several reasons for this, and while we wouldn’t like to solely place the blame on WWE, the truth is that they are a large part of the problem.
From characters to storylines, it’s been established that we can’t really expect much continuity when NXT superstars jump to the main roster. A part of that is fair, because the larger, casual audience doesn’t watch NXT and likely isn’t subscribed to the WWE Network. Though they now make up a large part of the crowd, the hardcore fans who love NXT are very much in the minority on the bigger scale.
However, there are many things that happen that somewhat water down a superstar when they get called up. For example, their characters are presented worlds apart from what made them popular in NXT. When fans are hyped about a superstar who gets called up and they’re then put in a precarious position, they often get the “overhyped” tag from the larger crowd.
Moreover, one of the biggest issues that happens which is a clear difference between NXT and the main roster is the creative micromanagement of superstars. In NXT, they’re clearly given some leeway, even in promos. On the main roster, sometimes even basic semblances of their characters aren’t really seen.
What’s been made clear is that there’s an obvious gap between NXT and the main roster. From the presentation to the promos the character work to the lack of match time, there’s something going seriously wrong with most of the NXT call-ups. A simple example would be Finn Balor. He was the guy in NXT and one of the most impactful stars in the history of the brand.
He was pushed to the moon right away on the main roster, but an untimely injury put him on the sidelines and even put him in creative limbo for all of two years. Many examples of underwhelming call-ups can be given, but the point is that there needs to be a creative bridge between NXT and the main roster.
We understand that with a lot more viewers and a massive TV deal, the main roster is a whole different monster of its own. It’s either upto WWE’s creative team to take special initiative to make sure that main roster call-ups are successful, or it’s up to NXT to make it consistent with the main roster.
However, with the one-hour programming, it’s often easier to get invested in a program like NXT, but even then, WWE needs to give the call-ups and all superstars more creative freedom in order to succeed. What they have in hand is very special, and NXT and main roster included, this may very well be the most talented roster in WWE history.
