Explain what makes NXT good

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

So NXT has become the hot new thing for stupid marks.

People chant "NXT! NXT!" like it's an underground indy promotion, and the WWE shrewdly markets the popularity of NXT as a revolution. Die-hard wrestling fans, fans that post on forums like this, seem to eat this shit up. I consistently hear that NXT is better than Raw, and that the WWE as a whole needs to be booked more like NXT. But the question is, what does NXT do that makes it good? In what way is it booked ANY differently than the main WWE shows?

I've watched NXT, and it follows the exact same generic match-interview-match formula that has been done in the WWE, and in wrestling in general, forever. There is nothing different or "revolutionary" about NXT at all. The only thing that separates NXT from the main roster is that NXT is not overexposed. WWE has 3 hours for Raw, plus 2 hours for SmackDown every week. NXT just has an hour a week. So when they run the same booking formula as the WWE it's fine, because their talent doesn't become overexposed. In the WWE it just feels monotonous and repetitive, because it is. But NXT intrisically isn't doing anything different, it's just on less.

People argue that NXT emphasizes wrestling, in-ring competiion, more than Raw or SmackDown. But that clearly is not the reality. Wrestling has never mattered more in the WWE. On Raw we routinely see the 15-20 minute matches with clean finishes and there is hardly any emphasis put on backstage segments and whatnot. In fact the overall calibre of matches on Raw is vastly superior to what you see on NXT, especially their weekly TV. The Takeover specials always have 1-2 really good matches, but those matches aren't often built up very well, and I'd also counter that WWE PPVs deliver the same number of really good matches, so again there's no real difference. It just seems silly that there is a large segment of the audience that seems to love NXT but hate the WWE when they do the exact same thing.

Wrestling is about storytelling. And the biggest problem with the modern WWE, and now with NXT, is that interesting stories aren't being told. It's just match after match without meaning or purpose. There is nothing interesting or captivating about watching NXT. There are no stories that progress from week to week, there are no angles that hook you. Let's look at the latest NXT Takerover special. The main event was Balor vs. Owens in a Ladder Match for the NXT Title. Great. And what was the story? Balor beat Owens for the belt, now Owens want a rematch. That's it. There's nothing captivating about it and nothing to really get involved in from a story perspective, which again, is what wrestling is all about. The other big match was Bayley vs. Sasha Banks for the NXT Women's Title. A great match that told a solid story in the ring. But what was the build-up? Bayley won a #1 Contender's match and they had a fight at a contract signing. It's the exact same generic, lazy week-to-week storytelling that makes the WWE so boring. So tell me, what is special about NXT? What is so revolutionary about it? Because right now it just looks like a bunch of marks cheering because they like to see guys from the indies.

 

[BestSportsEntertainer]

There are a few reasons.

- It isn't overexposed.
- The atmosphere is unique.
- The announcers.
- Women's wrestling.
- Hot crowds.
- More interesting gimmicks.
- Wrestlers like Neville, Sami Zayn, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Samoa Joe, and Kevin Owens.

It's not for everyone, mainly for smarks like myself. It is just a developmental show and not as good as the main roster, but it's very good for what it is.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Because right now it just looks like a bunch of marks cheering because they like to see guys from the indies.

This is EXACTLY what NXT is. There's nothing special or revolutionary about it, it's just marks tired of WWE-produced shows...cheering rabidly for a 100% WWE-produced shows. They have some good matches, but overall nothing special. NXT is just about young talent winning all the time, which is what the main WWE roster is becoming these days anyway. Veteran talents are all being thrown under the bus and made to look inferior to every young one that comes along.

 

[Dagger Dias]

NXT has more believable storylines, better matches overall, women getting pushed who can work matches just as good as the men, you don't see the same matches too many times in a row, and is a fun showcase for the potential future stars of the company. Last but not least.... the champions on NXT actually deserve the pushes they get. I might not LIKE everyone who gets pushed on NXT, but only those who deserve pushes get them there. On the main roster you get garbage like Kevin Nash texting himself to attack CM Punk, or Nikki Bella undeservingly about to break a title reign record in a division where 3/4 of the other girls are better than her. On NXT you get angles and match results that actually make sense whether you like who won or not.

 

[LuckyLouie]

Its a simple product.
They wrestle.
Cut a promo.
Wrestle.
Cut a promo.
Its a simple show to teach the new guys the very basic to the intermediate arena skills.
It gives them a chance to see what works and doesnt without the large crowd. It helps having a smaller crowd. Since they are learning, they dont have as many restrictions.

Its a simpler, smaller, and less restricted wrestling show. The guys can cut a promo that they wrote.

 

[JoeMallard]

Bayley was a part of the Four Horsewomen of NXT, which consisted of Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Bayley. Bayley got a hand injury, which put her on the back burner. As we all know, three of those four got called up to the main roster except Bayley. As soon as Bayley got cleared again, she had to go up against each and every one of those girls each week up until Takeover Brooklyn.

NXT doesn't force those unproven down everyone's throat just because they have good genetics. NXT is giving every top guy from their respective indie companies a chance to show what they are made of.

I'm not going to say one is better than the other, because I enjoy both. I just felt like addressing certain things you brought up.

 

[stingray11214]

SoS, NXT keep things simple. They do not have things overly convoluted or nonsensical. Wrestling talent and skill MATTERS here. Why do you think that Devitt, er, Balor wants to stay in NXT?

 

[MizMark11]

Bayley was a part of the Four Horsewomen of NXT, which consisted of Charlotte, Sasha, Becky and Bayley. Bayley got a hand injury, which put her on the back burner. As we all know, three of those four got called up to the main roster except Bayley. As soon as Bayley got cleared again, she had to go up against each and every one of those girls each week up until Takeover Brooklyn.

You can even say it goes deeper than that. Charlotte and Becky turned against Bayley, so every time she felt like she belonged, she was left alone because they basically said she wasn't good enough. Then when they started the whole Four Horsewomen thing, three got called up, like you said, and Bayley was left alone again without a feeling of belonging (almost as if she wasn't good enough, even though she was merely injured). Now Bayley got to prove she is good enough even if she is alone.

And that's the thing: I really enjoy NXT because it does a good job at making me care about the characters. When Owens was on NXT, I hated him (in a good way) because he made me angry when he "injured" Sami Zayn, he made me angry when he bragged about it because I genuinely liked Sami Zayn. When he won the NXT Championship, I felt good for him. When Balor won, I felt good for him too because I got that "finally" feeling for him just like I did for Zayn when he won the NXT Championship. And it's not like I followed either throughout their careers. I started watching ROH just as Zayn left and I never watched NJPW for Balor. Even when it comes to the NXT divas that were called up (and Bayley) : I never really cared for divas until them because NXT made them into believable characters with rhymes and reasons as to why they do what they do.

I never really compare NXT to Raw/SD. They're two different ideas that target two different audiences. NXT is a simpler brand used to teach the new guys the ropes of being in the WWE, but it also targets the more hardcore fans with a simpler product. ROH has the same simple promo - match - interview - match concept and that's what certain fans like, but then again the casual viewer can also enjoy NXT. Same when it comes to the main brands: those shows have things for the hardcore fans at time, but they're also targeting the larger casual fan base that keeps the WWE afloat.

What I'm saying is that both brands have things that certain people will think is amazing while others will oppose it. While I like the simple shows of NXT, I can admit that I'd wish there was more character development. Is it good? Yes. Great? Sometimes, but nothing is ever perfect. I'd never chant NXT at a main brand show just like I'd never chant "Raw Raw Raw" if Cena showed up on NXT.

tl;dr - different people will say different things are good/great depending on their different tastes.

 

[Braineaters]

RAW is bloated and directionless, overflowing with celebrity nonsense and matches ruined by false finishes. It's the same old tired shit week in and week out.

You claim wrestling is about storytelling and that NXT fails to deliver on that front, but RAW has been telling the same story for years, and it goes a little something like, "lol Cena wins".

You deride fans of NXT for cheering for it as if it were an anti-WWE product, despite being produced by WWE, but the fact of the matter is, they cheer for it because it is exactly that: a WWE program free of the cancerous booking decisions that RAW has been plagued by for the past decade.

 

[ABMorales787]

You complain about lack of storytelling and have Kazuchika Okada in your signature? I'm sorry, but how was Bayley vs Sasha not an incredibly well told story? How was Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn not an incredibly well told story? How was The Vaudevillians vs Blake and Murphy not an incredible story?

Know what the difference between WWE and NXT is? One uses a tired and very obviously uninspired formula while the other paces itself and fleshes out. It blows my mind how much they got out of the Vaudevillians having issues because of Alexa Bliss. It made the title match be a big struggle due to one girl and how to counteract her. In WWE, we have to get what's "important" jammed into our heads with buzzwords. "Divas Revolution". Bullshit. NXT did not have to tell us there was a burst in women wrestlers. They just did it. It's why fans love it. It's why it's heavily supported. Its not this marketing construct full of scripting like the main roster. And it's blatantly obvious.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I don't watch NXT every week so I agree with you and disagree with you.
I see where you are coming from but I think you are ignoring the obvious that is right in front of you. (Again not an avid watcher but...) Bailey had one of if not the best build ups since Daniel Bryan and The Authority story. MizMark said it best even though she was apart of the NXT horsewomen she was treated as if she wasn't as good as the rest of them and quickly became forgotten during her injury. Then there's other stories like Sami Zayn not being championship material and the Sami vs Owens stuff. As well as the NXT women stuff like the BFF story with Charlotte and Sasha.
Then there's others matches/feuds that I agree with you about. Like Joe vs Corbin, I have no idea why they are really fighting and anything involving the tag teams seems to always come out of nowhere.
But I think both products have their positives and negatives but overall if I had to pick I would have to go with NXT. When Owens was champion he was feuding with Cena, Zayn, Riley, and Balor all around the same time. I can't remember when was the last time a champion on the main roster did anything like that. Then there's the characters that are build down in Nxt but when they come to the main roster they aren't the same. The Wyatt family/The Ascension were build as monsters in Nxt come to the main roster and its lost after lost. And even with the crowd they are always interactive and respectful. For me Nxt is fresh, simple, to the point, and feels like everyone involve is having a great time. Were as on the main roster it feels forced and everything is drawn out for way too long(example being last Raw with the Return of Sting and having to listen to The Authority/Rollins go on for 15 minutes about nothing).

 

[Radical]

People have already said why NXT is great so I don't have to repeat it.

But for someone to come in and degrade fans of NXT calling them stupid or saying NXT doesn't have storylines is, itself, at the very least, ignorant.

Please tell me how much more fascinating WWE storylines are than NXT? Is Cena vs Rollins storyline much more than one guy who has been on top for years trying to prove he is still the man and the newer, younger guy with the top title trying to prove he is the undisputed best and the new "man"?

How is that so much different than Kevin Owens vs Balor where Owens was the NXT champion and felt he was the best, then lost to Balor and naturally Owens wants the title back because he feels Balor got in on a fluke? That is pretty classic wrestling storyline 101. If you can't get interested in that then I don't know why you watch pro wrestling anyway.

NXT actually had one of the best long-running storylines that I can remember in WWE or NXT in a long time. It involved Sami Zayn's seemingly endless quest for the NXT Championship only to come up short time after time after time. He finally won it and was happy but soon after his (former) best friend turned on him in a vicious fashion and injured him.

Main roster WWE rarely has time for these long running storylines but NXT pulled it off wonderfully!

 

[ajdb]

This is a rant. Strap in kids.

-First, BOTH main event feuds on RAW make no sense. Why did Rollins (the heel) challenge Cena to the winner takes all match? Why did Jon Stewart hit Cena with a chair? Because he likes Ric Flair? That came out of thin air.

-The Undertaker is pissed about losing 18 MONTHS AGO?! You were in the same building at one point. Did they interact? No. Heyman says WWE wouldn't grant him the match. What kept the Undertaker from doing this same stuff leading up to WM31? Nothing.

-Now we've got a 56 year old man as the #1 Contender to the World Title. Despite the fact he's only had one match in WWE. Let alone that match made no sense in itself. NWO vs. DX? GTFO! Payday for the Kliq. On top of that, Sting has only wrestle on TV THREE TIMES IN THE PAST 2 YEARS! AND TWO OF THOSE MATCHES WERE TAPED ON THE DAY!

-It's almost universal that WWE fans don't believe RAW needs to three hours. They don't fill it well most weeks then have the balls to run-over 10-15 minutes.

-You're right, Takeover had 2 good matches out 5 on the card. Both matches went over 15 minutes and had clean finishes. Summerslam? 3 matches that went over 15 minutes. Guess which match was the only one with a clean finish? The Divas match. Point dismissed.

-You want stories? SEVEN matches at Summerslam happened because "Party A attacked Party B". We already established the "Winner Takes All" match didn't make sense. The Tag Title 4-way happened because the teams spent the entire build trading wins. The Divas, well...that's just been awful.

You want stories? NXT Takeover's Stories:
-Balor won the belt on "home turf". Owens wants rematch. He got one in his wheelhouse
-Bayley got injured. While she was out her friends left her behind. She came back and EARNED A TITLE SHOT by beating Emma, Charlotte & Becky! (Novel idea, better than getting a shot for having your nose broken by the champ or say hiding in a box) Or in simpler terms she wants to be the best so she wants belt, Sasha thought she was the "Boss" of NXT.
-Joe vs. Corbin didn't have a great build. Basically Corbin has squashing people Joe offered him real competition.
-Apollo Crews' debut was a squash. That's what it was supposed to be.
-The Tag Title match was finally the Vaudevillains chance to have a fair shot at the titles are getting screwed on TV.
-Breeze thinks he better than everyone in NXT. Regal gave him a Japanese legend.

Finally, I think it's a longshot to say 1/3 of RAW's audience watches NXT considering the Network just went over 1 million subs recently. So yes, it is also a cool "Underground thing" as you call it.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

1. NXT is new. Plain and simple. The main roster is carrying guys and gals who have been around and crossed paths multiple times in WWE. Vince is pretty loyal, he isn't that quick to cut guys and gals that have worked the road and given a lot to the company. NXT has the luxury of all these firsts right now. Look at the stories that are getting kudos: Bayley's underdog title story, Finn Balor's underdog story, Sami Zayn's underdog story, Owens title win etc. These are big title wins primarily because they are firsts. The main roster can only do this so much before it becomes "hot potato" with the title.

2. Overexposure. It has already been mentioned. One hour is easier to book than five.

3. NXT doesn't have as many masters to serve. Raw has countless commercials, the Network to promote, the PPVs, NXT, tours to promote, crap to sell. NXT doesn't carry this heavy burden. Yes, they tour a little. Yes, they have PPVs but if you are already watching NXT, you probably don't (or won't) pay extra to see Takeover.

4. The title isn't the only prize. NXT has an underlying story outside of kayfabe that is very interesting - Who is getting called up? If you're a smark, you eat this shit up. Any main roster guy can get a push but how excited can you get about the IC or US Title or anything short of main eventing Mania? A push in NXT could mean a guy's dreams and being made by getting the call up shortly thereafter.

That's all I got for now. Some folks have huge hard ons for the Indy guys they loved elsewhere but they could feel that same way when the same guys reach the main roster.

Then again, I've only watched a few NXT matches on YouTube.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

RAW is bloated and directionless, overflowing with celebrity nonsense and matches ruined by false finishes. It's the same old tired shit week in and week out.

You claim wrestling is about storytelling and that NXT fails to deliver on that front, but RAW has been telling the same story for years, and it goes a little something like, "lol Cena wins".

You deride fans of NXT for cheering for it as if it were an anti-WWE product, despite being produced by WWE, but the fact of the matter is, they cheer for it because it is exactly that: a WWE program free of the cancerous booking decisions that RAW has been plagued by for the past decade.

You clearly didn't read my post. I criticize the storytelling or lack thereof on the main WWE shows as well, saying that NXT and the main shows are the exact same in that regard. So either you didn't read it or you're just a complete idiot, but since you're new I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. NXT is not "free of the cancerous booking decisions that have plagued RAW", it has an identical booking philosophy. 50/50 win/loss trading, generic #1 contender's matches to st everything up, no compelling non-wrestling segments outside of interviews and contract signings, no week-to-week progression of angles, etc. etc.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

People have already said why NXT is great so I don't have to repeat it.

But for someone to come in and degrade fans of NXT calling them stupid or saying NXT doesn't have storylines is, itself, at the very least, ignorant.

Please tell me how much more fascinating WWE storylines are than NXT? Is Cena vs Rollins storyline much more than one guy who has been on top for years trying to prove he is still the man and the newer, younger guy with the top title trying to prove he is the undisputed best and the new "man"?

How is that so much different than Kevin Owens vs Balor where Owens was the NXT champion and felt he was the best, then lost to Balor and naturally Owens wants the title back because he feels Balor got in on a fluke? That is pretty classic wrestling storyline 101. If you can't get interested in that then I don't know why you watch pro wrestling anyway.

NXT actually had one of the best long-running storylines that I can remember in WWE or NXT in a long time. It involved Sami Zayn's seemingly endless quest for the NXT Championship only to come up short time after time after time. He finally won it and was happy but soon after his (former) best friend turned on him in a vicious fashion and injured him.

Main roster WWE rarely has time for these long running storylines but NXT pulled it off wonderfully!

Sorry for the double post but I just love this. People are arguing against claims I never made. I never said that the WWE was telling fascinating stories. I said it they are telling the same tired, generic wrestling stories we have seen for years, and that NXT is booked no differently. Yet for some reason, fans that shit on the WWE, like you, seem to love NXT.

And of course NXT has had good angles. I mean they had one good angle with Owens and Zayn. It was a rivalry that felt personal and allowed you to actually get invested into the match. But by and large, it's match-interview-match, with nothing really going on.

Also I'm not taking anything away from the success that NXT has attained. The WWE has marketed the NXT brand very very well. For a developmental territory to sell out a 13,000 seat arena is a very impressive feat. As the WWE keeps hammering into our heads, "NXT is a brand", but like all brands it has an artificial image that has been propped up by marketing. It's brand is the "revolution", that it's something different, something innovative, that it's the wave of the future. It's not. It's FCW packaged in a different way. The same product with different wrapping paper. It's a facade.

 

[No Count Pup]

NXT is okay. I think their Takeover specials over promise and under deliver. The Balor/KO matches were unspectacular. Dallas and Neville failed to wow in 2014. Sami Zayn, to his credit, gave Takeover a few lifts. But that's not enough to make the brand stand out.

Its all a matter of taste. Some people swear by NXT. I just can't do it.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

And of course NXT has had good angles. I mean they had one good angle with Owens and Zayn. It was a rivalry that felt personal and allowed you to actually get invested into the match. But by and large, it's match-interview-match, with nothing really going on.

I think you are talking about RAW. Because if you have managed to miss the fact that basically everything on NXT is leading to a payoff or something substantial, then you aren't paying attention. Basically EVERYTHING on the show is doing one of two things...


Building to title match blowoff or a definitive match that will end an angle

or

Building stock in a character to later place them into a definitive match or a title match.


Everything has weight, everything is about the matches, everything has a purpose. There is no 5 hours to fill, there is no pointless never ending series of matches that comprise a feud. Your match-interview-match format is ACTUALLY LEADING TO SOMETHING definitive, not to yet another continuation, interference, or limp-dick non-finish.

. It's brand is the "revolution", that it's something different, something innovative, that it's the wave of the future. It's not. It's FCW packaged in a different way. The same product with different wrapping paper. It's a facade.

It isn't something innovative, but it is damn sure something different. It has a very throwback, basic structuring, with focus put on the in-ring, pursuit of titles, and personal issues that grow from competition in the RING first.

Its funny you cited RAW being similar by saying it has 20 minute wrestling matches, when those matches prove why you are wrong...


Yea, they sure do have 20 minute matches. Out of three hours of programming. Which lead to nothing at all afterwards.

Cesaro? Making up numbers in tag matches.

Neville? Cartoon angle with a celeb.

Cena? Back in the ME title picture, battling against "the man" once again. Boy, that's fucking fresh as an Incan mummy.

Lets draw paralells between the way the two big shows from last weekend blew off their main events.


TAkeover - Dazzling emotion and phsycology, great matches, definitive winners and losers.

Summerslam - Confusing booking which was roundly met with SCALDING anger by all fans who paid to watch it, and yet another continuation to next week, with no one coming out benefitted, another week of 50/50 booking and pushing agendas that are something other than the titles or the matches themselves.



I would call NXT far from innovative, as it is in fact, a throwback. The way the seriousness of the competition is taken and expressed via the results and its presentation, is going to be much more appealing to a large portion of fans.


If you don't see the differences, its because you simply wish not to.

 

[Braineaters]

You clearly didn't read my post. I criticize the storytelling or lack thereof on the main WWE shows as well, saying that NXT and the main shows are the exact same in that regard. So either you didn't read it or you're just a complete idiot, but since you're new I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. NXT is not "free of the cancerous booking decisions that have plagued RAW", it has an identical booking philosophy. 50/50 win/loss trading, generic #1 contender's matches to st everything up, no compelling non-wrestling segments outside of interviews and contract signings, no week-to-week progression of angles, etc. etc.

You can take your passive-aggressive insults and shove 'em up your ass. Neither my total post count nor your perception of my intelligence have any relevance to this discussion. I dunno who you think you're impressing, but you're coming off like an ostrich with its head in the sand.

NXT's match results aren't determined by the misguided and nonsensical credo that in all things, the cash cow must be preserved. RAW's are. NXT doesn't cannibalize month long storylines by having them culminate in pointless celebrity interference with no chance of a future payoff. RAW does.

I'm not about to play an elementary school game of "no it's not", "yes it is" with you, so unless you've got a better counter argument than the asinine and uninformed declaration that their booking styles are identical, you might as well just give up now. 'Cause if you actually watch both programs and honestly can't see a difference, you're as blind as a bat.

 

[klunderbunker]

Why does NXT work? That's a really good question that I have tried to answer multiple times so I might as well try it again. If I had to sum it up in one statement:

It's because they're a wrestling promotion. They take basic stories and put them together, leading to a big payoff at the end. In other words, it doesn't treat you like an idiot for being a wrestling fan. It gives you what you want and makes you want to come back next week, whereas most promotions just tell you you should come back.

That's why NXT works: it earns your respect.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Why does NXT work? That's a really good question that I have tried to answer multiple times so I might as well try it again. If I had to sum it up in one statement:

It's because they're a wrestling promotion. They take basic stories and put them together, leading to a big payoff at the end. In other words, it doesn't treat you like an idiot for being a wrestling fan. It gives you what you want and makes you want to come back next week, whereas most promotions just tell you you should come back.

That's why NXT works: it earns your respect.

Definitely truth to this.

I've maintained all along that the primary difference between NXT and the main WWE roster is who's in charge. In NXT, Triple H is a guy who isn't afraid to have NXT labeled as a wrestling promotion; he doesn't shy away from being a wrestling promotion by trying to use a label like sports entertainment; it's not a label that fools anybody in the first place, but it's also a label that's led to an altered perception in the eyes of some fans. Basically, some fans feel that Vince is almost ashamed that WWE is a wrestling promotion and doesn't like when it's referred to as one. It sounds like a small difference, but a lot of small differences can add up to a helluva lot.

In NXT, things are generally kept simple and simple works best 99% of the time. Simple, easy to follow storylines grounded with consistency that lead to genuine payoffs when it's all said & done. That's not to say that WWE doesn't do some things exactly right, but Vince isn't the most consistent guy in the world and sometimes has decision making processes that are downright chaotic, including changing his mind half a dozen times over the course of a single week, stop & go pushes because he may lose or gain interest in someone suddenly, altering angles right in the middle of storylines, etc. These sorts of changes have sometimes left logic holes big enough to sail and aircraft carrier through and Vince doesn't seem to mind. I know that creative often catches the heat but anything that goes on the air is done so only with Vince's approval.

A little thing like an unscripted promo can do wonders as well, which is how things are done in NXT. Vince likes to micromanage things too much, especially promos, and it sometimes leads to some pretty embarrassing moments. For instance, you won't hear a wrestler in NXT, male or female, say something like wins & losses don't matter as Nikki Bella said recently.

There's nothing going on in NXT that can't be duplicated on the main roster, it's just two really different management styles and view points.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I've maintained all along that the primary difference between NXT and the main WWE roster is who's in charge. In NXT, Triple H is a guy who isn't afraid to have NXT labeled as a wrestling promotion; he doesn't shy away from being a wrestling promotion by trying to use a label like sports entertainment; it's not a label that fools anybody in the first place, but it's also a label that's led to an altered perception in the eyes of some fans. Basically, some fans feel that Vince is almost ashamed that WWE is a wrestling promotion and doesn't like when it's referred to as one. It sounds like a small difference, but a lot of small differences can add up to a helluva lot.

This is exactly what I'm talking about. This post describes a difference between NXT and WWE that is a complete fantasy. NXT is just called NXT. It's not NXT Wreslitng, or NXT Pro Wrestling. NXT is not labeled a "wrestling" promotion in any sense. Wrestling is a word that is rarely/almost never said on NXT and the NXT announers utilize the term "sports entertainment" every bit as much as the WWE announcers. There is no difference.

This is why I find this topic so fascinating. Right here we have perfect example of a disparity between NXT and the main WWE programming that is entirey fictional, it's simply untrue, and yet it's used to rationalize the superior nature of NXT. Amazing.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I'm struggling with the idea that NXT is better because it is more simple. Raw and WWE in general are incredibly simple. I wish Raw were more complex.

 

[Slash-LN]

This is exactly what I'm talking about. This post describes a difference between NXT and WWE that is a complete fantasy. NXT is just called NXT. It's not NXT Wreslitng, or NXT Pro Wrestling. NXT is not labeled a "wrestling" promotion in any sense. Wrestling is a word that is rarely/almost never said on NXT and the NXT announers utilize the term "sports entertainment" every bit as much as the WWE announcers. There is no difference.

This is why I find this topic so fascinating. Right here we have perfect example of a disparity between NXT and the main WWE programming that is entirey fictional, it's simply untrue, and yet it's used to rationalize the superior nature of NXT. Amazing.

He said Triple H doesn't seem afraid to have it labeled pro wrestling. Meaning by people outside the company.

Where as Vince McMahon seems so intent to not have people outside the company label his product wrestling.

They're going to use "Sports entertainment" on NXT because it's still under the WWE banner but NXT certainly isn't bringing in celebrity guest hosts and all that stuff.

If you like a smaller, more intimate type show that's not full of filler segments and throw away matches then NXT is probably your ideal show.

If you want a bigger show that's more pop culture with some decent matches and quite a bit longer then RAW is probably your thing.

They may use the same formula but the execution is different. RAW often leaves you scratching your head. NXT doesn't really do that as often. At least not when I used to watch it on a regular basis.

Also keep in mind RAW actually wasn't putting on very much match time. I remember people keeping track of it. There were times you'd get 30 minutes into RAW and with the intro/announcers talking, the 20-25 minute promo and the commercial you hadn't even had a match yet.

 

[whoopin' ass]

That's an easy one - it doesn't have wwe's fingerprints all over it. The same thing that makes it good is what causes people from there to have issues on the main roster. In NXT you are given longer matches, allowed to use more moves, for the most part there really are no spots - with only one title, everyone is in the title picture. It is more about the matches than about the storyline - the matches are the story where as on the main roster the matches are almost secondary in many ways. Of course though if you are successful there, you got a 50/50 chance of failing on the main roster which is really odd considering this is supposed to get you ready for the main roster. NXT is a wrestling show still.