It may seem that way, but I’m really not trying to troll people with this title. If you look on the surface of NXT, this question seems like a ludicrous one. By any measurable standard, NXT is on fire and the undisputed crown jewel of the WWE Network. But it also may be promoting a style that the main roster just can’t maintain.If you’re subscribed to the Network, it’s extremely likely that you pay close attention to what is supposedly WWE’s developmental brand. What was originally expected to be nothing more than some decent in-ring action, has used it’s outstanding live quarterly specials to catapult onto a global stage.
A big reason for that is the hard=hitting breakneck style that NXT has adopted as its own. Some refer to the brand as a super indy and they’re really not far off. After many companies have tried (to varying degrees of success) to be the alternative to WWE, the company went ahead and created it themselves. All this sounds great and without going any deeper into the issue, it pretty much is. So why do I see problems on the horizon? Because expectations are now raised too high.
NXT can push themselves more because they have a somewhat lighter schedule. Even then, injuries to big names have begun to mount up. So, just imagine what would happen if the NXT style was transferred to the main roster on a large scale. I can guarantee you that more injuries like Cesaro and Rollins’ would begin to decimate the roster. As great as a high impact style is to watch, it has the unavoidable consequence of bringing with it more risk. There’s no way around that fact unless you begin to dilute the product.
And here lies another problem. Every time a NXT star rises to the main roster, there are cries of the guy (or girl) being diluted and losing their uniqueness. And the cries usually begin almost immediately. Now, I’m not going to debate why this dilution happens. As I hinted at above, I suspect it has something to do with the long term safety of performers. However, I also can’t deny that politics likely have a part to play on a regular basis also. Anyway, that’s a discussion for another day. My point at this moment isn’t that this happens, but more that it makes what is at worst a bland, average main product look even worse in comparison.
When fans begin to attack the latest WWE event, they’ll often batter the company over the head with its own little brother. “How can this be so bad when NXT is awesome?!” Is a barb you’ll often see thrown about. Of course, it’s easy to overlook the fact that NXT has many advantages. It only has one hour of television a week and is taped in blocks, making it a lot easier to book coherently without fear of plans being derailed in a way that requires scrambling.
But the perception is reality. As long as NXT far outshines Raw and SmackDown, it could actually encourage people to forego the flagship shows in its favour. If that ever happens to any kind of critical degree, NXT could actually drag the ship with it. Assuming the fact that the Performance Centre is running at a loss (as reported), it could possibly be one of the first casualties in another budgetary emergency.
Everyone should enjoy NXT. For all the hype, it may well have created something special. I just hope that the main roster can incorporate its popular style before the brand becomes a poisoned chalice. The age old tale of being a victim of your own success? Very possibly.