Yodude "The Rock" Barber;2034102 said:
So do you guys feel the Pro should get a prize?
If so what should it be?
And if not, Why not?
Should the NXT Pros get a prize for taking their rookie to the promise land? Yes, I think they should but not a title shot like you proposed. Perhaps something smaller like a trophy of some sort? They give out Slammy Awards every year, how about a Slammy for Pro of the Year or something along those lines. To be a NXT Pro means that you have more work. You have to bond with your rookies and actually care about their careers. Also, you have to make appearances in NXT and sometimes even take an extra workload being in a match-up on NXT when you could have been wrestling on RAW or Smackdown (shows that get more exposure).
I have watched all the episodes of NXT and I've noticed that none of the Pros have major or championship storylines on their respective brands. Jericho, Miz and CM Punk were really the only Pros that anyone gave a damn about and that was because Jericho was World Heavyweight Champion and then feuded with Edge, Miz was the Unified and United States Champion and CM Punk is the leader of SES. Carlito, R-Truth, William Regal, Matt Hardy and Christian have not been doing anything as of late until Christian competed in the tournament for the IC Championship. Other than Jericho, Punk, Miz and lately Christian, no other Pro has been involved in a storyline. That means that being an NXT Pro means that not only your time will be taken away but career opportunities like being in storylines that involve championships will as well.
This in itself makes being an NXT Pro undesirable. So why should WWE Veterans want to be Pros? Because they have no choice. Jericho said that creative just told them out of nowhere that they would be put into this situation. So essentially, the Pros are playing for nothing but extra exposure to the WWE Universe. But extra exposure is superfluous because all of us watch wrestling religiously. We all know these guys inside and out so extra exposure is not a real reward for the Pros. The only legit reward for being a Pro is pride. For a Pro to say that his Rookie became champion of NXT is definitely something to be proud of. But that won't get you a championship match and it isn't something to put on your resume for the Hall of Fame. It isn't something that will get you on the fast track to superstardom let alone be listed as an accomplishment on Pro Wrestling Illustrated. Being the Pro of the winner means nothing right now and that's a shame. Why not give these hardworking people something to make their sacrifice meaningful?
A nice trophy to put in your house or carry around would suffice in my opinion. I feel like the Miz could brag forever about winning such an "Awesome" trophy if Daniel Bryan wins. Jericho could definitely make fun of the masses because he won such a magnificent trophy and "you gelatinous tapeworms have not". Think about the promos that CM Punk could cut with a great trophy by his side saying that if you turn to straightedge, "you too can make a difference in someone's life and be rewarded for your sacrifice". Winning a trophy could possibly revive the careers of Carlito or Matt Hardy as they could brag about it and bring it to the ring with them. Right now these guys have nothing going for them so to bring around a trophy everywhere they go, certainly will not hurt their careers. It will probably prolong their careers and keep the future endeavored papers from coming sooner.
A nice trophy is not a championship title match but at least it's something. I don't think these guys get extra pay for being a Pro so there's nothing that would make this experience worth it. Creative should give these guys a break and throw them a peanut. A nice trophy isn't expensive and it could automatically start a storyline which could make some of these Pros relevant again.
