Vince not a fan of NXT?

[The Yes Guy]

Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that Vince is not really a big fan of NXT. He doesn't see the wrestlers as 'stars' who could make money for him.

He might be right after all. Almost all NXT superstars have failed miserably once they joined the main roster. The Ascension, Adam Rose, Tyler Breeze, Bo Dallas, most of the Divas, all have failed to make a mark.

Only some like Kevin Owens, Neville, Rusev and maybe Sami Zayn have made it past the line of obscurity.

Is it the lack of charisma, or are these a bunch of talented guys made horrible due to bad booking.?

What do you guys think.?

 

[TDFG]

If the story is true then he needs to look at his booking team.

Neville & Owens have been a success more so because of their wrestling ability, Rusev was a badass heel with an unbeaten streak for a while.

The Ascension, Adam Rose, Bo Dallas, Tyler Breeze have all had terrible gimmicks.

Instead of writing promos for the roster, give them some independence and let them freestyle a bit on their characters.

I suppose Vince and WWE need to decide if NXT is going to be a feeder program for the main roster or if they want NXT to establish itself as a kind of alternative to ROH, TNA & independents by chewing up their talent.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

While I might be wrong, I think this report is bullshit because if it were true, Vince has the power to make whatever changes to NXT he wants. He could move Triple H out of being head of WWE developmental and talent relations, he could make all the creative calls for NXT just as he does for the main roster and, of course, he always has the final say on who gets signed and who doesn't. Triple H has a lot of power and influence, but it ultimately comes down to Vince's decisions. Vince has ultimately allowed Triple H to run NXT the way he wishes, but he could step in at any given time to make any sort of changes that he wants.

As for the guys from NXT who haven't made it, I think it's a combination of things. For one thing, and I don't know where this came from, there's this prevailing notion some fans have that coming to the main roster from NXT guarantees that you're going to be a big star on the roster. That's not true whatsoever, never has been true nor will it ever be true no matter how WWE's developmental program is set up. Some of the wrestlers probably aren't moneymakers. I mean, Curtis Axel, Adam Rose and Tyler Breeze are examples of wrestlers who do have talent, but they're also saddled with very limited gimmicks. In the case of Axel & Rose, I just don't see a whole lot of greatness there and never really did personally. As for Breeze, his gimmick is essentially an updated version of the model gimmick Rick Martel used during the 80s and into part of the 90s; plus, there are rumors that Breeze already has some heat because he left a show early for no particular reason. I don't know if it's true, but that's the story. As for the Ascension, they were fine in NXT but they were brought up to the main roster and saddled with a gimmick that was doomed from the moment they arrived: they were essentially booked as a poor man's version of the Road Warriors. They're a good, solid tag team but it was obvious that they had little chance of succeeding without an overhaul because it just wasn't happening with the tweaks that were made to them once they got to the main roster. I've pointed out lots of times that the major differences between NXT and the main roster in terms of the overall quality of the product lie in the creative process as Triple H & Vince have two very different mind sets when it comes to creative decisions. Now, that's not to say that Trips can do no wrong or any garbage like that. He makes decisions that turn out to be wrong in the long run on storylines, angles, who gets pushed, etc. just as any other booker does and, again, as I alluded to, that means that not every wrestler from NXT who comes to the main roster is going to be a major star.

The Divas haven't made much of an impact? Now, I have to call bunk on that because Charlotte, Becky and Sasha are all three over with fans, all three can work well inside the ring, all have developed their own personalities, etc. I admit that I think Charlotte could do more than just be Ric Flair's daughter, but I'm not at all surprised Vince went in that direction because it was just the easiest. Becky has really come along well over the last few months as a straight up babyface while Sasha is great as a heel or tweener with fans just being really into her work. Also, you forgot to mention guys like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose as guys who've made a pretty big splash in WWE, Kalisto is the reigning United States Champion, Big E & Xavier Woods are two-thirds of the WWE Tag Team Champions.

I think if there's anything Vince isn't a fan of, it's that so many people say that the NXT product is better than the main roster product. Last year, during one of NXT's first touring shows outside of Orlando, I think it was in California in front of roughly 5,000 fans, a story stated that Vince was backstage watching and was having a great time until fans started chanting "better than 'Mania" and "better than Raw" chants at various times. The report alleged that this put Vince in a pretty sour mood but that he otherwise enjoyed the show.

 

[Low_Ki]

Vince is a fan of drawing money.

NXT draws money. Lots of it. They are the company that is the alternative to the main roster. And it is for THAT reason that some gimmicks just don't fly.

The Ascension and Tyler Breeze's gimmicks are quite far fetched but the booking of these particular talents in NXT allowed you to suspend your disbelief enough to believe in them. On the main roster, with no introduction or decent booking, the Ascension were a poor man's Road Warriors, and Tyler Breeze was set up to fail due to his similar look to his first real opponent in Dolph Ziggler. From then on, he was too animated.

Same with Adam Rose. They should have stayed with the Kruger gimmick.

The reason guys like the Shield were over is because of how they were presented, and ultimately that is the defining factor.

Vince doesn't have to like NXT but the bottom line is that guys like Owens and Zayn are getting over on their own merit and will make Vince money. As long as that keeps happening, it won't matter.

 

[Tastycles]

3 of the 4 matches currently booked for WrestleMania comprise of NXT graduates. But even if you ignore that, the fact that NXT is being made bigger consistently means that it seems incredibly unlikely that Vince thinks it's a waste of time. Yeah, loads of people flop when they go to the main roster, but that happens in wrestling. Wrestlers flop all the time - only the very best are guaranteed to succeed, and for the rest you need a lot of luck, that unfortunately those mentioned haven't had.

 

[Woodstuff]

It's probably fair to say Vince doesn't see the entire NXT roster as main event main roster talent, but a lot of them probably aren't. Like JH said, being an NXT star and moving up to the main roster doesn't automatically mean you're going to be a massive star.

Most of these NXT call-ups do fine in NXT, a smaller environment with far fewer fans to connect with. Then they flop on the main roster, because they're let out of the proverbial bag and swim out into the sea. It's also worth noting that most of the flops have been (correct me if I'm wrong) WWEPC talent, and haven't built up a name for themselves on the Indy scene first.

I think this goes to show that NXT alone isn't enough to pick up the skills you need to really get over in front of a main roster WWE crowd (with exception of course to Roman Reigns). I imagine that's what Vince isn't a fan of.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

He might be right after all. Almost all NXT superstars have failed miserably once they joined the main roster. The Ascension, Adam Rose, Tyler Breeze, Bo Dallas, most of the Divas, all have failed to make a mark.

Only some like Kevin Owens, Neville, Rusev and maybe Sami Zayn have made it past the line of obscurity.

Is it the lack of charisma, or are these a bunch of talented guys made horrible due to bad booking.?

What do you guys think.?

The "only" pile is a pretty good list considering the spots in the main roster is limited. Also you forgot to mention the women that came from NXT.

Sure there's going to be a lot of guys that's never going to make the main roster but imagine this as NXT as the AHL to the NHL, it's a league to develop upcoming prospects and newcomers so that they can eventually become stars. Not everyone's going to make it but you still need to have that system for the ones that do.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

This is the kind of report you dream up when you're mining for clicks online. Vince hates NXT is the kind of thing that the majority internet fans will click on without hesitation. Sounds like outrage porn pandering to the fears of the vocal majority.

Like Jackhammer said, Vince ultimately controls NXT, and if he didn't like it he could change it. Would Vince get upset about NXT producing a lot of jobbers? Sure, but it's also been a big factor in most of his PPV main events since The Shield debuted. Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose in some combo were in basically every PPV main event in 2015.

Ambrose and Reigns had blink and you'll miss them NXT runs, but Rollins was the posterboy for that brand. Big E and Xavier Woods were NXT guys. Owens has been a pretty resounding success. Kalisto appears to be their future Latino star. Zayn has only just begun. Rusev and Wyatt have done ok. Neville has took their attempts to place him in a Mighty Mouse gimmick and ran with it.

The guys that have flopped have been the ones that have had their gimmicks altered or been used as enhancement talents. Leo Kruger was changed into Adam Rose just before the main roster. The Ascension were told to bash legends and look like discount Road Warriors. Bo Dallas became the new Heath Slater - arrive, be annoying, get run down, take a finisher, stumble to the back. Breeze was never pushed at all.

WWE needs enchantment talents, or jobbers if you will. NXT has created just as many upper card success stories as it has lower card guys. Social Outcasts are one the funniest groups in WWE made up of mostly NXT guys, I personally love it when they come out to lose.

I call BS on this report. If there's any truth to it, it's Vince bitching that it hasn't produced any of those once in a lifetime talents like a Rock, Austin, Taker, or a Lesnar. But how can it? Guys like that come along as they are. If he was unhappy he'd kill it, he'd change it, he wouldn't promote its head writer to the main roster or allow it to continue to develop talent in the way it has.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

NXT draws money. Lots of it.

Well, not really.

3 of the 4 matches currently booked for WrestleMania comprise of NXT graduates. But even if you ignore that, the fact that NXT is being made bigger consistently means that it seems incredibly unlikely that Vince thinks it's a waste of time. Yeah, loads of people flop when they go to the main roster, but that happens in wrestling. Wrestlers flop all the time - only the very best are guaranteed to succeed, and for the rest you need a lot of luck, that unfortunately those mentioned haven't had.

Oh, not to mention them booking major buildings for the Takeover Specials now as well?

Exactly. This is what I like to call Internet "reporters" making 2+2 = 10


"well some NXT guys didn't work out, and NXT is different, so obviously Vince hates it. "


Sure, sure thing. For being "smart" many of you are insanely fucking gullible. I wouldn't be shocked if this was actually leaked to throw more gas on NXT as the "alternative" (see also; ANTI) to the WWE.

 

[ABMorales787]

From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

While publicly HHH will say Vince loves NXT, the internal perception is very different, seeing it as a touring brand filled with so many guys Vince doesn’t believe are money. We do know there was a lot of heat on HHH and complaints for not selling the Reigns beating in public, because he had to get his face on the NXT show in London knowing it would be a super show in front of that crowd and he didn’t want anyone to not know it was his creation and baby. The questions regarding Reigns given how he’s not gotten over with HHH as his adversary for so long has led to plenty of finger pointing, although a lot of people pointed to the crotch chop on Raw as the sign HHH is no longer really behind the cause of getting Reigns over as a face. Perhaps that’s just paranoia and frustration, but the way Reigns was eliminated at the Rumble and the HHH/Reigns interaction with him has been curious to say the least. However, the one point that everyone talks about is the treatment of Breeze on the main roster. It created an issue that a lot of NXT talent, while the goal is the main roster and the money on the main roster, they are loving it in NXT, and they see Breeze as someone who was an NXT star who was ready to be a WWE star and then got treated the way he did. It led to a lot of questions regarding whether people wanted to be brought up. Don’t get me wrong, people do because the money difference is huge, but there’s also the feeling that NXT is really fun and the main roster is the culmination of a lifelong dream but very frustrating. In particular there was the heat because of the timing of the “Breaking Ground” show on the network where they made it such a big deal how Breeze was moving to the main roster, and that by the time that segment aired, he was getting buried like a job guy on the main roster.


From a public standpoint, Vince, on HHH, said in an Orlando Sentinel interview, “He’s done so well. I’m so proud of him, not just the years he’s spent in the ring and I don’t know how many more year that’s going to last. This may be his last WrestleMania. I don’t know. He’s a little long in the tooth as I say to his face and we all laugh about that now because I’m 70 years old. Nevertheless, corporately the growth over the last two years has been exponential and Stephanie’s part has been even more of a meteoric rise. What she does in terms of representing the brand, no one can represent the brand in all aspects, in all facets of our business, and she fits everywhere. Talk about an ambassador. She’s obviously beyond an ambassador and her growth corporately has been great. On Shane: “Whether or not there’s a corporate place, we’ll wait and see. From a performer standpoint, I so enjoy performing with him. And when the three of us are out there, Stephanie and Shane and me, and throw in Paul because that has happened in the past, oh my God. We could say out there and entertain each other, much less the audience, for an hour. It would be easy. It’s just so much fun because we can ad lib and entertain ourselves. I think if you are entertaining yourselves and you’re having fun that projects and the audience is having fun with you.

How bizzare. That doesn't sound at all like "Vince hates NXT". More like "Vince is stubborn and puts physique above all else while Triple H is more open-minded."

It's his developmental field. He knows he needs to fill his roster and NXT is the only place to grow talent. Only an idiot would think Vince has anything outside of slight jealousy for his protege being ahead of the curve. Read the interview. He knows his time is coming. Why would he hate what his handpicked successor created as practice? Because people that called up get buried? Yeah, because the people that came from FCW are doing so much better, right?

 

[DirtyJosé]

I don't know if Vince hates NXT, but I do know that we usually hate what we don't understand, and Vince has NEVER understood what makes a product like NXT as good as it is. This is evidenced by, among other things, his failure to duplicate ECW; he failed because he never truly understood what is was that got ECW over in the first place.

As to the success rate of former NXT stars, it's important to remember that they can't all be zingers; not everyone will succeed. Some of those listed are victims of terrible creative decisions, but some just look better in a more intimate environment. There are going to be stars who won't make it beyond NXT, and that's ok.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't know if Vince hates NXT, but I do know that we usually hate what we don't understand, and Vince has NEVER understood what makes a product like NXT as good as it is. This is evidenced by, among other things, his failure to duplicate ECW; he failed because he never truly understood what is was that got ECW over in the first place.

I dunno if I agree with that. I think that Vince knew what got ECW over, I just think that his ego was big enough that he could essentially hijack the ECW name, do it his way and that it would get over.

When you consider how WWE has gotten so serious in regards to talent injuries, it's really a good thing that Vince didn't try to revive ECW using the original formula. Also, when you consider all the various wrestling deaths over the last 15 years or so, some of which can most have been cause, in part, due to years of working the hardcore style, it's probably best that ECW stayed dead. Smaller promotions can get away with working the ECW style, but WWE can't because it's too well known and too much in the public eye.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

From the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

It's his developmental field. He knows he needs to fill his roster and NXT is the only place to grow talent. Only an idiot would think Vince has anything outside of slight jealousy for his protege being ahead of the curve. Read the interview. He knows his time is coming. Why would he hate what his handpicked successor created as practice? Because people that called up get buried? Yeah, because the people that came from FCW are doing so much better, right?

Exactly. People fail to realise that NXT is nothing more then developmental. Wrestlers go there and brush up their skills and gimmicks to go to main roster after. And as such is success. We have Divas and Intercontinental Champion from NXT. Former NXT Champion Seth Rollins was WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Half of roster now is more or less former NXT talents. But yeah, lets stick to the story that Vince hates NXT. That is so great, then we could love something that "Big Boss" hates and be cool.

 

[DirtyJosé]

When you consider how WWE has gotten so serious in regards to talent injuries, it's really a good thing that Vince didn't try to revive ECW using the original formula.

What Vince and many others (yourself seemingly included) focused on was the gratuitous violence and adult content. What was lost was the attitude (no pun intended) and mystique. I'm not talking about senseless gimmick matches, I'm talking about the magic that made guys like Taz and others look so much better in ECW than anywhere else. Paul created a house of smoke and mirrors, and trying to duplicate that success without those parlor tricks is why Vince and almost everyone else has failed to create anything nearly as electric as ECW was at its peak. WCW managed to keep Raven a thing for a short while before screwing that pooch, but otherwise they were just as clueless as to what to do with Paul's boys.

To bring this back to NXT, HHH's little show that could has captured something in that same way. It isn't just the talent that is at NXT; what makes the show popular goes deeper into the very philosophy behind its production. So, again, I can't say that I'm surprised to hear that Vince doesn't see the value and appeal of NXT compared to the main programs because the strengths of the NXT brand typically fall outside of the things that McMahon is capable of understanding. To him and many others, NXT talent aren't money makers because they are square pegs that don't fit the round hole that is Raw.

 

[Low_Ki]

Well, not really.

]

How can you say that NXT doesn't make a lot of money? Every PPV is sold out and live events sell out across the States and over here in the UK. Merchandise is up and while compared to the 'main roster' they make not make as much they are still easily one of the most profitable assets to the WWE.

 

[DirtyJosé]

How can you say that NXT doesn't make a lot of money?

Until some hard numbers are released, I don't think you can say that they do make a lot of money. At least in the context of this discussion, "a lot" is going to compared to main roster numbers. You can say, however, that NXT is successful and that NXT is a draw. If these were not true, we wouldn't be seeing reports of NXT going on the road and the expansion of NXT's commercial footprint in their shop.

NorCal is probably right that reports of Vince "hating" NXT are likely encouraged by insiders with the company to keep it feeling like the hardcore alternative. Parlor tricks indeed.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

]

How can you say that NXT doesn't make a lot of money? Every PPV is sold out and live events sell out across the States and over here in the UK. Merchandise is up and while compared to the 'main roster' they make not make as much they are still easily one of the most profitable assets to the WWE.

Because they discussed the financials on the NXT conference calls and NXT operates at a loss? Sure, they sell out their PPVs, and how often are those, once every four months? Do you think the tickets are a thousand dollars each or something? They have sold out three medium sized buildings since the existence of the brand. They only began regularly touring in January.

Until some hard numbers are released, I don't think you can say that they do make a lot of money.

Uh, except for they have been

I don't think you can say that they do make a lot of money.

Well actually I can, because they operate at a loss

You can say, however, that NXT is successful and that NXT is a draw. If these were not true, we wouldn't be seeing reports of NXT going on the road and the expansion of NXT's commercial footprint in their shop.

Increased? Expansions you say? Surely that has nothing to do with them operating at a loss so far.




Being a hot draw and making lots of money are not the same thing. If they play their cards right, they may converge this year were the interest in the product meets up with the distribution of the product, and it becomes profitable. Its also never been the stated point of NXT from the beginning. Its becoming a goal because the brand exceeded the original vision the upper brass had for it.


I thought this was all fairly common knowledge, but I suppose not.

 

[DirtyJosé]

Its also never been the stated point of NXT from the beginning. Its becoming a goal because the brand exceeded the original vision the upper brass had for it.

I'd call that being fairly successful.

I thought this was all fairly common knowledge, but I suppose not.

Facebook operated at a loss for a decade. Amazon took it in the shorts for 9 years. TBS...actually, probably not the greatest idea to mention them when talking about wrestling. The point is, operating at a loss doesn't mean you aren't making money or that you aren't successful. It's mostly tax trickery and accounting nuances. This is common knowledge for most business types.

I mean, I'm not saying they are making butt loads of money (nor did I ever imply it), but they must being drawing in some healthy amount if their recent spending sprees are any indication.

Shitting on NXT for selling out venues and putting on quarterly programs which sell at a level most every other promotion in the country would be eager to get a taste of makes little sense. I mean, they are drawing to their shows. That is the whole basis of the term, correct?

Furthermore, I don't see how you feel an expansion of the brand's commercial presence is somehow a consequence of operating at a loss, other than perhaps to reinforce the point that the mother ship is seeing the value and success of NXT and pouring more money into the machine. Those shirts don't make themselves for nothing, and in fact would go towards the parlor tricks (ha!) that go into "operating at a loss".

 

[harrythem]

I find the timing of this article slightly interesting...I find the timing of an article saying how Shane McMahon's return seems to have caused issues between Vince & Triple H interesting....

Could this all be WWE leaked "stories" that head towards Vince helping Reigns beat Triple H and siding with Shane?

I really can't see Vince not liking NXT doing well because he might be out of touch, but he does like money...if it's true then Triple H just needs to hire a few juiced up meatheads and Vince'll get hard for nxt again.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

I'd call that being fairly successful.

I never said they weren't successful. Only that they weren't making "loads of money" or, as reality would have it, any profit at all.

The point is, operating at a loss doesn't mean you aren't making money

I mean, I'm not saying they are making butt loads of money (nor did I ever imply it).

No, you didn't. The first guy did, and when I corrected him, you told me I don't know anything, meanwhile the conference call transcripts have been available for months. You are both wrong. NXT Operates at a financial loss.

they must being drawing in some healthy amount if their recent spending sprees are any indication.

Or perhaps the WWE sees potential to make money with the brand so they invest in it more?


You know, like the exact thing the guy in charge of it said they were doing?

Shitting on NXT for selling out venues and putting on quarterly programs which sell at a level most every other promotion in the country would be eager to get a taste of makes little sense.

When did I shit on NXT? He said they sell out every PPV, and I pointed out that there have been three mid sized buildings used, which in no way shape or form would result in NXT making "tons of money" or even turning a profit. That is a fact.

Furthermore, I don't see how you feel an expansion of the brand's commercial presence is somehow a consequence of operating at a loss

Because they would like to expand to a point of being able to make money, and not operate at a loss? Like the guy who runs the promotion said?

 

[DirtyJosé]

See, businesses like to do things like this to hide money they've made and use money they've spent to save more money. NXT may also be the little tax shelter that could. Not making a profit and not making any money are not the same things at all in this context.

No, you didn't. The first guy did, and when I corrected him, you told me I don't know anything,

I'd really like to see that, because I don't recall having ever posted those words. I do recall typing the words "NorCal" and "was right" in the same sentence back there somewhere, however.

When did I shit on NXT? He said they sell out every PPV, and I pointed out that there have been three mid sized buildings used, which in no way shape or form would result in NXT making "tons of money" or even turning a profit. That is a fact.

A sell-out is a sell-out and they certainly make a show of it enough themselves that pointing to it as a metric of success seems valid, though (as I stated already) I agree that does not mean they are making "tons of money". Hey, they aren't making a profit! Hey, they're still selling out and drawing (which was my point)!

Because they would like to expand to a point of being able to make money, and not operate at a loss? Like the guy who runs the promotion said?

Why would you invest in something that wasn't otherwise giving you signals that it was worth it? Why would you talk about expansion to shareholders if there wasn't already initial success to build upon?

Two of the top ten selling shirts on the WWE Shop right now is for an NXT star (Balor), including the number one spot. The other shirt was number two as far back as August, if not further. KO was a big mover before he got pulled up to Raw. I wonder how much of that move contributed to the NXT operation loss. I mean, his stuff now is all WWE branded instead. Almost like they INTENDED to bring that money maker up to Raw to make things look better on paper for the conference call (which I genuinely was not aware of and am grateful for you bringing it to my attention) and other shareholder affairs.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

See, businesses like to do things like this to hide money they've made and use money they've spent to save more money. NXT may also be the little tax shelter that could. Not making a profit and not making any money are not the same things at all in this context.

Ok, so we can go with what Triple H said, or we can imagine them making this a tax shelter. That must be it, the WWE is simply hiding all the profits NXT is making, because all the sense in the world

Hey, they're still selling out and drawing (which was my point)!

And I went out of my way to point out the difference, but that wasn't the part of my post you disagreed with

Why would you invest in something that wasn't otherwise giving you signals that it was worth it? Why would you talk about expansion to shareholders if there wasn't already initial success to build upon?

You are quoting the answer to what you are arguing against here. I have already said repeatedly that they are trying to expand the brand in order to make it profitable....I guess I just left it up to everyones common sense to put together that was based on the potential for it to be profitable based on the growth it already has had?

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Exactly. People fail to realise that NXT is nothing more then developmental. Wrestlers go there and brush up their skills and gimmicks to go to main roster after. And as such is success. We have Divas and Intercontinental Champion from NXT. Former NXT Champion Seth Rollins was WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Half of roster now is more or less former NXT talents. But yeah, lets stick to the story that Vince hates NXT. That is so great, then we could love something that "Big Boss" hates and be cool.

Hmm, I'd say that by this point NXT is a bit more than "just" developmental, maybe that descriptor applied in 2014 but not anymore. I don't think it's anywhere near the top-drawing aspects of the company, but it definitely gets lots of focus on the Network and is definitely marketed towards certain kinds of core fan as opposed to say, Raw.

But yeah I agree with you otherwise and think this is largely dirtsheet rumour-mongering. I generally hate conspiracy theories but I can seriously buy that WWE knows by now after Austin and Punk and everything that deliberately building "alternative" was bound to provide a little more revenue even if it's nowhere near as solid a draw as the main roster guys (many of whom you correctly point out are former NXT).

 

[Navi]

I haven't read all the responses so I apologize in advance if I'm going over ground someone else has. Let's face it, it would take forever for the WWE to make their own home grown stars, so the WWE have no choice but to go outside to the indies and other places to bring in new talent.

NXT is the perfect place for them to relearn the WWE way of doing things, and most of them will be fine when brought up to the main roster. I can't see Vince thinking that Finn Balor or Samoa Joe amoung others aren't money makers for his company, and there are many more names that can be put on that list.

Yes it's a development brand, but it's a damm good development brand. It tours makes money, sell merchandise and is a fixture on the network. Now not all the talent will make it to the top, and that goes for any of them, no matter where they came from. Someone like Tyler Breeze who was excellent in NXT, has been wasted on the main roster. The guy is a damm fine wrestler, but his gimmick sucks. And again that goes for a few of them, like Adam Rose and the Ascension. Besides not every gimmick that works at Full Sail will look good on national TV.

Whatever Vince McMahon thinks of NXT, it has a growing and very loyal fanbase, and McMahon would be an idiot to let that go.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

What Vince and many others (yourself seemingly included) focused on was the gratuitous violence and adult content. What was lost was the attitude (no pun intended) and mystique. I'm not talking about senseless gimmick matches, I'm talking about the magic that made guys like Taz and others look so much better in ECW than anywhere else. Paul created a house of smoke and mirrors, and trying to duplicate that success without those parlor tricks is why Vince and almost everyone else has failed to create anything nearly as electric as ECW was at its peak. WCW managed to keep Raven a thing for a short while before screwing that pooch, but otherwise they were just as clueless as to what to do with Paul's boys.

Yeah, but see the problem with that is that ECW sold itself on the gratuitous violence and over the top adult content. Whenever I saw a commercial for ECW or an advertisement for an upcoming ppv event the company was having, what I saw was clip after clip of Sabu leaping off ladders onto guys lying on tables, Bam Bam Bigelow and Taz going through the ramp leading down to the ring, Sandman waving a kendo stick while smacking beer cans into his head to cut himself open, Tommy Dreamer knocking Brian Lee off the top of some sort of make shift scaffold above the ring through piles of stacked tables, New Jack leaping off a balcony in the arena landing on a prone guy on bare concrete 15 feet or so below, etc. I know some complain that ECW was more than just the over the top violence and adult content, but it's difficult for me and many others to see it when over the top violence and content was what was constantly being hyped to sell the brand.

Generally speaking, getting back to NXT, I agree that NXT is generally the developmental brand of WWE. One of the reasons why it's flourished by being able to attract such high profile talent is because WWE is footing the bill for NXT. Yes, it's true that NXT is making a good deal of money for the company in terms of helping with network subscriptions, merchandise and touring; however, what a lot of people are taking for granted is that NXT didn't have to start from the ground up like any indie company out there because of WWE's deep pockets. Also, as I originally pointed out, if Vince was genuinely as displeased with the guys coming into NXT as the WON suggests, I feel that a lot of changes would be made. As I also alluded to, and as others have said, if Vince has any sort of hard feelings on anything, I think it's more about the fact that his son in law's little project has grown in such outstanding measures and that said son in law is much more in tune with the changing mind set of modern fans than he is.