What Would *YOU* Change About NXT?

[Jack-Hammer]

Frequently, NXT is praised, and rightly so, for just about every aspect of the product. It's growing beyond being merely just a developmental territory as its reputation continues to expand via the WWE Network, outstanding live specials and great house shows.

However, I'm sure that everyone probably has something they think could be changed, improved or implemented in order to make NXT better. There's no such thing as perfection and it's never going to reach that unattained state so let's try to keep the ideas realistic without straying too far into the realm of fantasy booking.

Off the top of my head, I personally want to see NXT go to 2 hours, at least temporarily, both as a sign of growth and to satisfy my curiosity. One of the more common defenses of the main roster, particularly Raw, is that there's so much more time to fill and that's definitely true; it's easier to run a 1 hour program than a 3 hour one or even a 2 hour one. IF Triple H will be stepping in for Vince somewhere down the line, however, then I think we need to find out if Triple H and his boys are able to bring the same level of excellence to a 2 hour show; the format of NXT is often hailed as one of its best features as it sticks to simple, logical storylines, consistent booking and quality performances while some have wondered if Trips can deliver that same level to a longer show. I think we're going to find out eventually as it's just a matter of time before NXT is extended to 2 hours.

 

[Wald]

I'd honestly keep it as an hour so as to not overexpose those guys. Two hours of wrestling is a tough ask to pull off, lots of the time the main roster can't do it on Smackdown even.

For me I think the nXt formula in the main event is getting a little stale and that some wrestlers shouldn't be put on nXt at all. We all now know that the way things go is that a big name independent wrestler wins the world title, holds it for a while to pass on to the next champion as he heads up to the main roster. Rinse and repeat with the guy he gave the belt to. I think Finn Balor's reign has actually shown how formulaic that has become as his feud with Owens was lacklustre (due to Owens having already graduated). Before that, it was obvious Owens was beating Neville because Neville was going up too.

Basically I don't think Kevin Owens, Finn Balor or Samoa Joe should ever have been put on nXt I guess. I think WWE is losing sight of it being a development league for guys like Bull Dempsey, Tyler Breeze, Baron Corbin and the rest. Having well seasoned wrestlers on it takes away from the wrestlers still learning and makes things a bit boring. You can see it in Tyler Breeze not getting a chance with the title because he isn't a bigger name than the last few title holders. I have no doubt that Hideo will be the next champion when it's time for Balor to go up to Raw as well.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I actually think NXT is pretty much perfect. I don't want it extended to 2 hours that's for sure. Or any more titles.

Now there are a few talents I'm not fond of, Bull and Corbin are the main two I'd get rid of, I see no upside in either. While Eva Marie is terrible, she is a good person for fans to rally behind and boo the shit out of

All three announcers are also pretty generic, I don't even know the name of the guy with the glasses. I don't really see why they need three either (Better to train three at once I guess?) But they're not particularly bad in any way, and it's not like I can think of any better options to replace them.

I suppose if I had to come up with a change, I'd like there to be more appearances from main roster members, and have it be a huge deal if a main roster member arrives for a one off appearance. Someone like a Cesaro or a Dolph could show up and be somewhat gatekeepers for NXT'ers to beat and earn their way up to the main roster themselves. I'd prefer that to talents losing a big match and disappearing, and then showing up on Raw.

Even then though I can see problems with that idea. I think that's credit to just how good NXT is!

 

[Kamala316]

The one thing I would stop doing is rehashing old gimmicks from the 80's and 90's. Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson are the Brain Busters 2.0. Jason Jordan and Chad Gable are the World's Greatest Tag Team 2.0. Hell, Tye Dillinger's "Perfect 10" gimmick is DDP's old gimmick (minus the Diamond Doll holding up the score cards). But I guess at least it's getting them on tv.

 

[MC_Live]

I would leave NXT at 2 hours. The reason it is so good is because there is no over exposure. Don't fix what ain't broke.

For me I think the nXt formula in the main event is getting a little stale and that some wrestlers shouldn't be put on nXt at all. We all now know that the way things go is that a big name independent wrestler wins the world title, holds it for a while to pass on to the next champion as he heads up to the main roster. Rinse and repeat with the guy he gave the belt to.

The reason all those indy guys are holding the NXT Title is because they got over. In the first few cases of the network era- yes Neville and Sami Zayn were big indy names, but they were both in developmental for a few years and got over there too. In the cases of Owens and Bálor, they may not have been in the company as long as others, but they still got more over than nearly everybody else on the roster. And it's because they're that good. Generally, the best wrestlers (the ones who can get over and stay over) should be the champion. Period. Should Tyler Breeze get a run with the belt? I think he can certainly pull it off. But trust me, NXT would be nowhere near the level it's at if guys like Baron Corbin and Bull Dempsey, who are clearly not as good as their colleagues, held the title. They did stuff like that in FCW, and nobody was raving about that. (And yes, FCW may have only aired locally in Florida, but did you ever hear people going, "Hey, you gotta find this FCW stuff on the internet!"?)

If I had to change some stuff in NXT, it wouldn't be a lot. First of all, make it a two man commentary team. Three man booths are just useless and annoying. A two man booth is a lot more effective. Get rid of Saxton, and let Corey Graves and Rich Brennan do it. And maybe start throwing Rene Young in there every now and again.

Also, I wouldn't necessarily get rid of girls like Eva Marie, but I would have them go through a LOT more training and learning before putting them on TV. I get it's a developmental territory, but when you're on a roster with guys like Bálor, Zayn, Crews, and whoever else, you don't have to look like a 10 year seasoned vet, but you shouldn't look like a rookie either.

 

[Aquaman6686]

This will be insanely unpopular, but I don't care. The one thing I would change is to take NXT off the WWE Network. The developmental process should not be televised. Keep the NXT shows on the road, but take it off TV. No more weekly NXT shows, no more Takeover specials. When someone moves from the NXT roster to the WWE roster, treat them as a first-time debuting Superstar and ignore NXT.

 

[ASKane]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. NXT works really well as a weekly 1 hour show with a couple Specials each year. The one thing I would have suggested was going international and they have now put the plans in place so really there isn't anything to change.

But the one suggestion I would make is to swap NXT and Smackdown around, have Smackdown as a network exclusive show which is used in the same way it is and continue giving lesser feuds more time. NXT would then get the TV network slot which would give it more exposure and allow it to be a larger money maker for WWE, however NXT is perfect the way it is and I would change a thing about how the show works but I would stop having squash matches for the likes of Corbin each week

 

[OYDK]

Rely less on jobbers. Originally this is one of the things I liked about NXT as it allowed the "real" stars to show off their impressive display of moves in quick fashion, while also giving the next batch of NXT regulars some TV exposure even if they were getting squashed. However, in my opinion NXT has enough stars now that we should be getting some relatively fresh and exciting matches every week instead of 2 squashes a night. It was the same kind of formula that turned me off of mid-90s WWE. Not that I'm comparing the two as I find NXT much more stimulating and exciting than the dark years, but it would be nice if jobbers were used more sparingly.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I would create an NXT Hall Of Fame. The first SuperStar that should be inducted into the NXT Hall Of Fame is…the King Of Bad News, Wade Barrett!!

Just kidding. I wouldn’t change a thing. NXT is better than TNA, ROH, and everything else out there right now, probably because NXT is under the WWE umbrella, but under Triple H’s rule…and the other promotions are not.

I would add a mid-card Championship Title Belt. Maybe they should just flat out steal the only thing that made TNA different…the X-Division Championship Title. The NXT X-Division Championship Title Belt would look like the…NXT Championship Title Belt.

I would also add a 2nd hour, but only if Raw drops back down to 2 hours.

 

[Reflection]

I'd like to connect NXT a little more with the rest of the WWE. Right now, good NXT talents are promoted to WWE, whereas uncomfortable WWE talents are demoted to NXT- that's pretty much the only connection.

I feel that a good way of doing it would be to adopt TNA's concept of "Option C," allowing the NXT Champion to relinquish his championship in exchange for a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship once a year in an NXT PPV, forcing the world champion to defend his title IN NXT- in a mostly alien territory, in front of a hostile crowd, against an unfamiliar opponent. A similar provision can be made for the NXT Women's Champion as well.

There can also be matches and feuds to determine who will be the next NXT star to join the main roster. The eventual debut may not be a total surprise, but he will have the tag of being the guy that defeated <this many> other men to earn his spot in the WWE, and now he is facing.. say, John Cena. This can also be a yearly thing, where it will be a certainity that someone is moving up. But who?

Another way to connect NXT a little more with the WWE, would be to send frustrated guys like Big Show, Kane, Mark Henry etc. to compete in NXT once in a while. They can boast that they will put the rookies in their place and show them what big legends they are, but they will just end up getting their a** kicked by a rookie. Rookie gets one more achievement, frustrated guy gets another boost to his frustration, both guys walk away stronger in their roles.

 

[rbv13]

I'm going with something very simple. One of the reasons I enjoy pro wrestling, I'm sure others will agree, is it reminds me of my childhood. To sit back and fade away into those moments when I was just wowed by the product. NXT holds a lot of those old school values that lets me really get into the Brand. Being an '80s kid I miss Saturday morning wrestling. I'd air the weekly show on Saturday mornings. I'd bring back the old school interview set up and reports from the control center.

 

[gmanversion1]

The only thing I would do ( and I agree with a previous poster) is add a mid card belt. Maybe have Ryder show up with the internet championship, and it eventually get adopted as official (like Booker T did with the legends title in TNA)

The network is after all internet based in most places

 

[JoeMallard]

This will be insanely unpopular, but I don't care. The one thing I would change is to take NXT off the WWE Network. The developmental process should not be televised. Keep the NXT shows on the road, but take it off TV. No more weekly NXT shows, no more Takeover specials. When someone moves from the NXT roster to the WWE roster, treat them as a first-time debuting Superstar and ignore NXT.

NXT is one of the biggest selling points of the network, so why take it off? If it was taken off the air, it would be nothing more than it was when it was irrelevant. NXT is the hottest thing in professional wrestling. You have to wonder why no one takes your opinions seriously.

 

[rbv13]

NXT is one of the biggest selling points of the network, so why take it off? If it was taken off the air, it would be nothing more than it was when it was irrelevant. NXT is the hottest thing in professional wrestling. You have to wonder why no one takes your opinions seriously.

From an actual business standpoint it makes zero sense to remove NXT programing but I can understand where this individual is coming from. They miss the element of surprise seeing a calling up to the main roster. This is actually why, until the Network came along, they help FCW & NXT from American television. Personally I love watching development. Before everything was relocated to Florida I was able to catch OVW TV and attend HWA shows. It was incredible to see so many talents before they came Super Stars. To this day I would sware Gavin Spears & Cody Rhodes could've been amongst the best tag teams of all time.

 

[enviousdominous]

I really don't think I would add something new, more like I would add more of what they've already been doing.

We've seen Jushin Liger stop by, and it was awesome.

I would have legends stop by regularly to add some flavor to their big events. Maybe bring in a female legend to help legitimize the NXT Women's division. I can see Bayley vs Alundra Blayze making the crowd pop like a Chinese new year celebration.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I love NXT. The format and title distribution are all well decided. No, its not perfect, but there is no such thing as loving a story without forgiving (or embracing) it's flaws. If I pointed out the things I would change, I'd think of it as nitpicking. I'm not saying this is not a thread we should discuss, because there are significant arguments for an additional hour or midcard championship (less so it's exclusion from broadcasting, but to each their own). I just didn't feel I could contribute to discussion. My own subjective taste were at odds.

However, when I came across thread "Try to control the tears please....", I thought of this thread here.

I love that championship wins in NXT mean something on an emotional level, and feeling is communicated by the performers. However, I feel like I'm seeing too much of it. I haven't watch NXT since it's inception, but in the short time I've watched; Neville hugged Zayn after losing the NXT Title to him (which included a hype video where Zayn hugged Neville in similar fashion). Charlotte hugs Sasha. Sasha hugs Bayley. It's only three, but that seems more emotional battles of 2015 than the top 5 North American companies combined!

TL; DR - Too much graduation goggles. My only issue.

 

[MTL722]

Full disclosure, all of these are nit-picking. NXT is the hottest wrestling show right now and none of these changes really matter all that much to me

1. Already been said, but id add a midcard title. Internet Champion was a good idea as it reminds me of the old television championship

2. More gimmick matches. We dont see a lot of these in NXT. We had Bo and Neville in a ladder match, a Balor Owens ladder match, and thats about it. I'd love to see what these talents could do in cage matches, elimination chamber matches, maybe a hell in a cell even.

3. The top of the card and how its handled. I want to see a heel with a lengthy reign. And not an already established independent scene guy either. Neville has the longest reign right now at about 10 months. I've always been partial to heels having longer reigns than faces. The face should chase (rhymes cecause its true)

Theres just too much changeover. I want to see a guy stay in NXT and get "lapped" by guys that come in after him and get promoted before him. Tyler Breeze would have made sense for this last year if he'd won the fatal four way

 

[Aquaman6686]

NXT is one of the biggest selling points of the network, so why take it off? If it was taken off the air, it would be nothing more than it was when it was irrelevant. NXT is the hottest thing in professional wrestling. You have to wonder why no one takes your opinions seriously.

I am 100% against the developmental process being televised. NXT SHOULD be irrelevant. When Finn Balor debuts on WWE TV, he should be treated as a first-time appearing Superstar. It worked for OVW, it worked for FCW, and then NXT destroyed the whole system and it's terrible now. Every person who comes up form NXT is immediately pushed to the top, shoving main roster talents aside, and the entire developmental/main roster system is broken because of NXT.

 

[Dagger Dias]

There's virtually nothing I would want to change about NXT currently. It's the best hour of wrestling each week. I still maintain that it would have been great exposure to have title matches for each NXT title on Night of Champions, so there's that. Right now NXT does everything right. The right people get pushed for the overwhelming majority of the time with very few exceptions that should not be where they are at this time (a certain tag team currently holding the Tag Team Championship come to mind), but most of the time it's all done right and believably so. The storylines aren't ridiculous, the matches are overall of much higher quality than the main roster.... It may be nitpicking, but one thing I'd like to see change is for people to stop saying "N....X....T" in promos. That gets a bit annoying. Just "NXT" will suffice.

In all honesty though, nothing truly must change about NXT at this time.

 

[stingray11214]

I would stop the make believe that NXT is a "developmental" territory. It is a TERRITORY in the spirit of USWA, CWA, or the old CWF. WWE should just call it WWE South and be done with it. Development means that you are training people in a craft to become part of an organization. Prince Devitt, Kana, Samoa Joe and Kenta need development like I need AIDS. They are Professional wrestlers who have worked YEARS in, and built a name for themselves in, the business. Young people who are just getting into the business needs the type of training a developmental academy would use, not a guy with 10 years of mainline experience.Keep THAT development behind closed doors, and use NXT as a Territory like CWF, CWA and USWA were.

 

[Aquaman6686]

I would stop the make believe that NXT is a "developmental" territory. It is a TERRITORY in the spirit of USWA, CWA, or the old CWF. WWE should just call it WWE South and be done with it. Development means that you are training people in a craft to become part of an organization. Prince Devitt, Kana, Samoa Joe and Kenta need development like I need AIDS. They are Professional wrestlers who have worked YEARS in, and built a name for themselves in, the business. Young people who are just getting into the business needs the type of training a developmental academy would use, not a guy with 10 years of mainline experience.Keep THAT development behind closed doors, and use NXT as a Territory like CWF, CWA and USWA were.

Having experience in the little leagues isn't the same as having experience in WWE. These wrestlers need to wrestle WWE style. Finn Balor, Asuka, Samoa Joe, and Hideo Itami all have a 50/50 shot to make it. For every CM Punk and Daniel Bryan who is able to work a WWE style and become a megastar, there are five more who can't adapt and wind up being nobodies, like Colt Cobana and Original/Crappy Sin Cara.

 

[KromyD]

Like most, i too think the NXT brand is awesome as it. But the only thing that I would even contemplate changing would be when to bring it thru for more exposure/mainstream air time, as NXT is ready as is.

If they could somehow get a couple hours a week and use a couple raw/smackdown stars with a couple of new signings it could definitely work.

 

[stingray11214]

Having experience in the little leagues isn't the same as having experience in WWE. These wrestlers need to wrestle WWE style. Finn Balor, Asuka, Samoa Joe, and Hideo Itami all have a 50/50 shot to make it. For every CM Punk and Daniel Bryan who is able to work a WWE style and become a megastar, there are five more who can't adapt and wind up being nobodies, like Colt Cobana and Original/Crappy Sin Cara.

New Japan and NOAH are "little league"? I never realized that New Japan, considered by many to be the premier professional wrestling organization on the planet, is no better than a little league! Man, some of you really bathe in Vince's Kool-Aid, huh?

And as for the original Sin Cara: It is WWE's own damn fault Mistico failed. Granted, Mistico did not help matters with his Wellness violation. But, there were a lot of people were asking why did WWE not let Mistico wrestle in his style. They KNEW what they were getting when they signed him. If they didn't, there are far more problems in Stamford than you and I are made to believe.

As for Colt Cabana: He is one of the most respected members of the Indy scene. I do not think he is starving for all the appearances that he makes. I doubt many "pro wrestling" fans consider him a "nobody". Fans of "sports entertainment", however.....

And, what do you mean by "style"? It is PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING! You can put two humps on a duck and call it a camel all you want. In the end, it is still a duck. IN the end, if you allow people free reign to tell the story, the whole planet could easily separate those that are masters in the art of Pro Wrestling, and those who aren't.

 

[LuckyLouie]

It is what it is.
A training ground.
Its a place for future WWE guys to learn how to work the crowd, camera and the show. While the guys there seem better, its still a place for them to learn.
So nothing at all!
Its kinda like the NCAA to the NFL

 

[Vanilla Midget]

I'd like to see its definition move definitively from developmental to its own brand, right now its both. On one hand you have a system where guys and girls are being called up to the main roster. On the other hand you have contracts like Rhyno's or Blue Pants. We still don't know the nature of how far Samoa Joe's contract goes. Given he kept his name, it's realistic to believe that NXT is as far as he goes. I hope I'm wrong.

If NXT is to become a brand, then talent should be moving both ways. We've seen Ryder form a tag team with Mojo (say what you will about him). Why wasn't a bigger deal made of that.

What about guys in limbo, like Axel, Sandow, or even Goldust? Why not have them "leave" WWE for NXT. Bo has supplanted Heath Slater's job as annoying heel jobber who gets beat up, why not Heath in NXT? He got his start there while it was a reality show.

If NXT is it's own brand, there needs to be some give to the take. Make a big deal when people show up. This might also give certain wrestlers a shot in the arm and a chance to develop new characters.

NXT eventually goes two hours, but I'd say it's some time away. While you have increasingly more guys becoming career NXT talent, then you pull the trigger. For now, what about a second half an hour show? Maybe on a semi-regular basis, put it on the Network before or after Raw or Smackdown, or even a PPV.