Should WWE occasionally have NXT wrestlers on TV

[Mac Attack]

NXT is the best show in wrestling these days. It has the best overall talent, matches, and fluidity to it. NXT as any wrestling fan knows is exactly where WWE gets their main roster superstars. From guys like the Shield to Fandango, to Langston (I'm not including fcw call ups in my examples) we have seen extremely talented wrestlers get their WWE start on NXT and become successful in the WWE.

Now currently on WWE's roster there's possibly only 5 legitimate "superstars" who are your main men, and WWE is in desperate need to build the next big star. There have been several pushes to lesser known people in recent times however the fact remains we are starting to enter a period of change. And that's much needed. Now I had the idea that ever so often we should see a NXT guy get a "practice match" on the main roster. Let them cut a 3 minute promo, and wrestle a match (non squash) and let them try to connect. A lot of guys like Graves, Zayn, Kruger I think would benefit greatly when they eventually get called up by having this match.

Now I'm not saying make it like Gutcheck I'm not saying once they appear they need to appear every week, for all I care they can appear once and never be seen from again (if they're bad) but I think giving some guys some connection with a love Audience before they officially debut could be beneficial.

Would it hurt that much to give an NXT guy 10 minutes on RAW? I don't think so. I see it all being a good strategy to find the next major star.

 

[Suviluer]

Nope, nope, nope, nope! It is fine as it is, if you show a rookie with no porpuse but to be on raw and wrestle, youll see him a minor league player and it devalues him to be once on Raw and not seen again for like 5 months. Even worse, who would they have this "competitive" match with? a jobber? makes them look like a no good rookie. a Mid-carder? see, Bo Dallas. A main Eventer? makes the top dog look bad, and sets the bar to high for the rookie. If people are going to come up to RAW, they should stay at RAW. Also with no STORYLINE, i dont care if you are the second coming of Ric Flair, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET OVER.... And theres a lot of examples of that. easy one to choose is Husky Harris, same guy as Bray, the only difference is that Bray is an actual character.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

The problem with that is it will expose fans to guys before the guys are ready, or set to debut. It's typically a 50/50 shot that the guy will have the same gimmick in NXT as they get in the E, so it'd be a waste. The roster already has a bunch of talented guys that don't get on TV, why bring in more. Their best bet would be to cut one or two of the 'seconds ago' segments, and use that time to have a weekly recap of the best spots from NXT. I suggested this when the discussion came up about an Option C for the E. devote 2-3 minutes the the NXT champ and what he's doing weekly.

Also, factor in the HHH has stated that none debuts on the main roster until creative has something landed out for them and the answer to having a match is invariably no.

 

[TempestH]

I agree with the idea of giv ing the NXT talents "practice matches". There's nothing wrong with using them as enhancement talents until their official debut as long as WWE doesn't overdo it by having them get squashed or beaten up by the flavor of the month.

Main roster guys show up on NXT all the time, and they get jobbed out to NXT talents, so maybe the developmental guys should return the favor at least until it's time for their official debut and push.

 

[byrnside]

While I do enjoy NXT, to say that it's the best wresting programming on TV is a bit of a stretch. In the past, Ambrose and Big E. and Bray Wyatt have been awesome to watch, and having watched them on NXT makes it more exciting to see them now on RAW. But for me, only the indy-established stars like Sami Zayn are very entertaining to watch. That's not to say I won't come to enjoy others in time, because I have before, but they need to grow. For the time being though, the best talents of NXT, in my opinion (with a few exceptions), have been called to the main roster. Only time will tell at this point.

But would it hurt to put some of the guys from NXT on RAW or Smackdown once in a while? Not to sound rude, but it absolutely could, and I think that's why NXT is exclusive to Hulu. I've been watching NXT for a while now, and it is perfect the way it is if you ask me. It gives these guys (and girls) a fighting chance to actually figure out what they're doing right and wrong. A lot of it seems to be trial and error for what works and what doesn't. The biggest problem the WWE has had over the last decade is that they bring in people who have loads of talent when they're too inexperienced and they end up floundering and eventually get released. It goes back to the old territories argument. Watching NXT exclusively through Hulu or YouTube is great for those fans that appreciate it for what is, a training ground. I will certainly agree with the OP that NXT is fun to watch, and I look forward to it every week. But throwing these people on TV too early when they're not experienced enough can be a detriment simply because it's very hard to forget what you've already seen, especially for "casual" fans, and especially when what you've seen was bad. I think it's one of the main reasons Bo Dallas is booed so heavily on NXT.

Allowing the NXT talents, potentially the future of the WWE, compete as enhancement talent is a terrible idea. Enhancement talent is basically a sophisticated word for jobber. No one is going to believe Leo Kruger will succeed after jobbing to someone like Jack Swagger.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate where you're coming from. The roster is certainly thin at this point, but there is plenty of talent on the main roster that, when given the chance, can take the ball and run with it. That's more of a creative problem, though. As far as the "practice matches" you speak of, they are called dark matches, and they're dark matches for a reason. Graves and Kruger are fun to watch in the ring, but they need to learn as much as they can while they can. Off the top of my head, Graves is not the best on the mic or in front of the camera for promo, which, in WWE's mind is more important than being a good wrestler (which is unfortunate).

 

[TempestH]

While I do enjoy NXT, to say that it's the best wresting programming on TV is a bit of a stretch. In the past, Ambrose and Big E. and Bray Wyatt have been awesome to watch, and having watched them on NXT makes it more exciting to see them now on RAW. But for me, only the indy-established stars like Sami Zayn are very entertaining to watch. That's not to say I won't come to enjoy others in time, because I have before, but they need to grow. For the time being though, the best talents of NXT, in my opinion (with a few exceptions), have been called to the main roster. Only time will tell at this point.

But would it hurt to put some of the guys from NXT on RAW or Smackdown once in a while? Not to sound rude, but it absolutely could, and I think that's why NXT is exclusive to Hulu. I've been watching NXT for a while now, and it is perfect the way it is if you ask me. It gives these guys (and girls) a fighting chance to actually figure out what they're doing right and wrong. A lot of it seems to be trial and error for what works and what doesn't. The biggest problem the WWE has had over the last decade is that they bring in people who have loads of talent when they're too inexperienced and they end up floundering and eventually get released. It goes back to the old territories argument. Watching NXT exclusively through Hulu or YouTube is great for those fans that appreciate it for what is, a training ground. I will certainly agree with the OP that NXT is fun to watch, and I look forward to it every week. But throwing these people on TV too early when they're not experienced enough can be a detriment simply because it's very hard to forget what you've already seen, especially for "casual" fans, and especially when what you've seen was bad. I think it's one of the main reasons Bo Dallas is booed so heavily on NXT.

Allowing the NXT talents, potentially the future of the WWE, compete as enhancement talent is a terrible idea. Enhancement talent is basically a sophisticated word for jobber. No one is going to believe Leo Kruger will succeed after jobbing to someone like Jack Swagger.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate where you're coming from. The roster is certainly thin at this point, but there is plenty of talent on the main roster that, when given the chance, can take the ball and run with it. That's more of a creative problem, though. As far as the "practice matches" you speak of, they are called dark matches, and they're dark matches for a reason. Graves and Kruger are fun to watch in the ring, but they need to learn as much as they can while they can. Off the top of my head, Graves is not the best on the mic or in front of the camera for promo, which, in WWE's mind is more important than being a good wrestler (which is unfortunate).

Bo Dallas is booed heavily because they gave him a big push over talents that people may have felt were more deserving. It's one thing to bring Bo up to compete in a one off match, but they gave him a spot in the Royal Rumble and a program with the Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett.

John Cena and Randy Orton came into the company and were used mainly as jobbers for their first years on the main roster and now they're top stars. Jobbing isn't going to hurt a talent. If the company wants a talent to be pushed, they WILL push him regardless of how they were booking him beforehand. But I don't think the OP is talking about having Corey Graves or Leo Kruger squashed by Ryback in less than a minute. I think he means having them lose in longer, more competitive matches, where they gets to show off their talents and their movesets, look good in a loss and leave the fans wanting to see more. Guys who are currently on the main roster have been jobbing out to NXT talents. Why not have them return the favor?

 

[H33LTurn]

The problem with this is that it would take away time from supertars who are already on the main roster. The superstars like Fandango and Langston get called up with they meet the criteria of a main roster superstar. There are people working round to clock to mold them into a successful gimmick. Its useless to bring someone up before they're needed or ready.

 

[lifelongfan]

No way they r minner leagers. it was only a few years when nxt was on syfy and that didnt last long. if they have the skills it takes to move up then they will. let them delvope in the minners and if they make it they can b on real tv in due time.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If WWE is able to secure a television deal for NXT Wrestling, then I think a very OCCASIONAL crossover between NXT & the main roster MIGHT be fun. If it does happen, it doesn't need to happen very often at all because NXT, generally speaking, isn't a "brand" like Raw or SmackDown!. It's WWE's developmental territory and part of its success is that it has a very different feel overall from Raw & SD!. NXT puts me in mind of a very well off, upscale indy promotion that's packed with young & fresh talent. NXT is Triple H's baby and he's gotten very positive feedback for how he's raised that baby, deservedly so in my opinion, and his decisions have paid off so far.

Every once in a while, stars from the main roster appear on NXT. Cena has been there once or twice, as has CM Punk & Sheamus. Antonio Cesaro has made several appearances and his matches against Sami Zayn, better known as El Generico, have gotten rave reviews. Some Divas from the main roster have appeared and, usually, they wind up putting over the NXT Divas.

If WWE ever does have NXT wrestlers appear on Raw or SD!, it shouldn't happen very often at all. They also need to really pick the cream of the crop to appear and have that talent make a significant impact. Again, if it does happen, then, in my opinion, it doesn't need to happen for quite a spell because NXT needs to firmly build & develop its own presence & identity among the WWE audience on television. The best way that it can do that, again in my opinion, is if they ultimately stay in their yard while the main roster stays in its yard.

 

[The Butcher]

No. Many great reasons have been given already. I think the better idea would be to get a domestic television distribution deal for NXT or at least syndicate it. It's pretty inexcusable for this show to still be a Hulu Plus exclusive in the United States. Without having broad exposure for their NXT talents, bringing them onto main roster shows will just make them look like job guys with entrance music. Get NXT on television and then do crossovers.

 

[Skyeborne]

I'm really against showing NXT stars on the main roster, even if it is just a cameo. Also, I am against them making NXT its own show on TV.

NXT is a place for these practice matches, and a way to get better. They bring in someone from the main roster to help train with them, so they are getting plenty of practice.

 

[Dilligaf]

Maybe some of them now & again.

But with the way the divas division have been mostly shite the last few years, I dont think it would hurt maybe letting Paige appear now & again, I think it would bring a breath of fresh air.

Also I know its sounds stupid, but I was thinking to myself the other day, what would happen if Paige was a female member of The Shield?

 

[LSN80]

Not "now and again." Either bring them up to the major roster, or leave them in development.

What creates a connection with a crowd is consistency. And if you're going to bill these wrestlers as "the future" of your company, shuffling them back and forth is a mistake. It takes time, exposure, and effort in order for a young, new wrestler to get over. If they are afforded the opportunity to be given just a monthly appearance or so, they're not going to matter much. On the other hand, three hour Raws are the perfect venue to show clips or even a match here and there, if licensing allows, from NXT. This, along with vignettes, would give fans exposure to newer wrestlers, and even WWE a chance to gauge reaction to them. But bringing them up and having them on the show inconsistently is a rough way for them to operate.

What I like that WWE does is they have current roster members travel to NXT from time to time, either to cut promos or to wrestle matches, which I believe Sheamus has done recently, as has Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Cm Punk, and John Cena. This, more then anything, is beneficial to the younger wrestlers. It gives them a chance to work with seasoned veterans, allowing both they and the trainers to see how far they've come, and how far they've yet to go. At the same time, while there's still pressure, it's a gradual one. They get to work with veterans, true, but it's in a more confined space and on their "home turf."

If you recall, WWE has tried the "occasional call-up", and that was with Bo Dallas. He won a tournament at Royal Rumble Axxess, and earned a spot in the match where he lasted for about a half-hour, eliminating Wade Barrett. He got some TV time, here and there, and even won a match against Barrett. The problem is that he was so up and down that he was never given a chance for the crowd to really invest in him. Personally, I'm not a fan he from what I've seen in NXT of him, but he was on the main roster too infrequently for me to truly make a judgment call about him. And because of that, I have no reason to care, unfortunately.

if WWE really wanted to expose NXT and their wrestlers to the masses moreso then they are already doing, why not use Main Event as the NXT show? It started off hot with the champion vs. champion match and the first six months of the show were excellent, but it's become mid-card haven ever since. It's good wrestling, for the most part, but as was pointed out by Macios, NXT is great wrestling as well. So if WWE wanted to truly give them exposure right now, changing Main Event to the "new" NXT may be the best way to go.

Now currently on WWE's roster there's possibly only 5 legitimate "superstars" who are your main men, and WWE is in desperate need to build the next big star. There have been several pushes to lesser known people in recent times however the fact remains we are starting to enter a period of change.

If WWE had the next breakout star just waiting in the ring to be called up, they would have done so by now. The problem is, there simply aren't many John Cena's, Daniel Bryan's, and CM Punk's out there. I'm sure Vince, HHH, and co. would love it if they had him/her ready to go, but they'ld also know it, I would figure.

And giving him/her an 'occasional' 10 minutes on Raw wouldn't be enough.

 

[byrnside]

Bo Dallas is booed heavily because they gave him a big push over talents that people may have felt were more deserving. It's one thing to bring Bo up to compete in a one off match, but they gave him a spot in the Royal Rumble and a program with the Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett.

How is that not what I said?

John Cena and Randy Orton came into the company and were used mainly as jobbers for their first years on the main roster and now they're top stars. Jobbing isn't going to hurt a talent. If the company wants a talent to be pushed, they WILL push him regardless of how they were booking him beforehand.

Jobbing absolutely will hurt a talent. If someone is consistently booked to lose, it's hard to come back from that and be a believable opponent. There is a difference between being a jobber and doing a job, by the way. John Cena wasn't booked as enhancement talent, and that was my point. He, like you said, was booked to look good but in a losing effort and then went backstage and shook hands with Undertaker. Rookies rarely get a rub like that. Cena rarely lost after that and certainly never was a jobber. Orton's debut was against Bob Holly where he won, and he even holds a win over Brock Lesnar in a tag match where Rico was his partner. Not what I'd call jobbing.

But I don't think the OP is talking about having Corey Graves or Leo Kruger squashed by Ryback in less than a minute. I think he means having them lose in longer, more competitive matches, where they gets to show off their talents and their movesets, look good in a loss and leave the fans wanting to see more.

Graves was just the first name that popped into my head. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy watching Corey Graves. I like watching him grow. Either way, it just doesn't make a lot of sense to me to have developmental talent on either RAW or SmackDown for a one-off shot. John Cena and Randy Orton weren't developmental guys that came up for one-off performances, they were roster mainstays from their debuts on. It's too confusing for people who don't understand why they're only wrestling once. The main roster stars come to NXT to help the developmental guys. It does nothing for a main roster star to have one of the NXT guys come in and lose and then go back to NXT. I think that's the point I was trying to make with Bo Dallas. I think that's also the angle they were trying to take with Dallas, to bring him up as a rookie upstart who won via upsets a la the 1-2-3 Kid back in the day. It just wasn't working though. It wasn't long after that we started reading reports that Triple H didn't want NXT stars to come up without some concrete plans and angles.

I think the better idea would be to get a domestic television distribution deal for NXT or at least syndicate it. It's pretty inexcusable for this show to still be a Hulu Plus exclusive in the United States. Without having broad exposure for their NXT talents, bringing them onto main roster shows will just make them look like job guys with entrance music. Get NXT on television and then do crossovers.

I don't think they have plans to syndicate it for the simple fact that they don't want their more influenceable audience members to watch on one channel, start to like a talent like Seth Rollins (who was completely different on NXT than he is now), then change channels only to be confused because one day Seth is a face, the next a heel. They've already had NXT as its own on show, and it was kind of terrible. Granted it was a completely different show, but it was pretty ridiculous nonetheless. They're keeping it separate on purpose. If they wanted NXT to be seen by a large audience, it would be.

 

[MCMG]

NXT should be kept separate from Raw and Smackdown. That means that when the talent from NXT are ready they are able to come in with a shock and a fresh look. If we have already seen them wrestle it is less exciting. Imagine if they, for some reason, put Bray Wyatt in a random Raw. Their debut would have been less impactful and intriguing.

An inexperienced wrestler needs time to work on his gimmick and ring work. The scrutiny of a Raw or Smackdown may be regressive for a superstar trying to break through. Just let them work on NXT and become stars. There is enough talent to fill the shows as it is. There is no need to bring them up when they can learn a significant amount of the skills required on NXT.

 

[Tech N9ne]

I definitely wouldn't mind a match or 2 on WWE's main programming every week. I am dying for guys like Ohno to get a shot. Maybe it would help certain guys get to the main roster faster or give them a reason to be called up in the first place if they get a good reaction or constant solid reactions on TV. It is a good thought, that's for sure.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

No, what they need is for NXT itself to be on TV, and to promote it on the big shows. an occasional cameo from the champion (wether it be tag, world, or womens) wouldnt be bad, but thats it. The WWE's lac of cross promotion and pushing of various shows is baffling to me. I feel like they have dedicated 177 hours of promo time to total fucking goddamn divas, but you hear fuckall about SD, Main Event, and zero about NXT. Isnt the point of promotion to shed light on things that may be unknown to large parts of the audience? I cant see how giving us an avenue to watch the show, and the tiniest bit of promo / vingette time could do anything but help.

 

[Jstrike]

Great idea! it wouldnt be that bad of a idea,
so the nxt champion could like appear on any show he wants to go on and same for the nxt womens championship, this would make the titles even more important than ever before, and ill even go to the extreme to say that wwe should do what tna does at destanation x.
they should let nxt cash in the whc for any whc in the real wwe on like a big nxt night! and same for the nxt womens championship should be able to cash in on a divas champion.

 

[BloodworkKP]

I have to say it's not a bad idea but I'd Prefer that that first they get the guys brought up that really are just bidding their time in NXT, I like a lot of the guys out of nxt right now. They are showing some really good skills, not to follow the IWC but how long will we have wait for Kassius Ohno, Sami Zayn, Corey Graves and Leo Kruger, They have the skills and the drive the only thing it sounds like is keeping Ohno for being brought up is body type issues to which I say one name....Barry Windham, WWE offices are thinking that Kassius Ohno is not the right body type, Was Barry Windham? he was moderately pudgy in the midsection but that MFer could go, body type is one thing but seriously WWE you need workers that can go and put on one hell of a show every night and those four men Ohno, Graves, Zayn and Kruger can GO and if You can bring up the wyatt family which most have some degree of body fat to them but can go why not bring Ohno up also I've been impressed with some work I could see this new version of the ascension being called up Conor O'Brien is a beast and Rick Victor is one hell of a worker they have the pieces for a great tag team which if the WWE is serious about bring back prestige to the tag team division do it bring up the ascension and my final NXT worker that is on my radar that needs to be brought up is the former Mike Dalton Tyler Breeze I could go on forever on what I feel makes this guy a complete sell for the WWE, First is Look young guy currently working a model like gimmick with ego maniac tendencies which can work but the most important is the skills he can bring the guy was trained by Lance Storm so you know that when that bell rings this guy can go just like every other name I brought up

 

[samhunt391]

I would support the odd NXT match on Superstars but even then I would use that match only as a promotional tool for NXT