Random Acts of Wrestling: Can NXT Be WWE’s Saving Grace?

And, by saving grace, I mean WWE’s wrestling saving grace.

It’s no secret that a majority of WWE fans are not really happy with their current product. Complaints range from too many rematches to stale characters to endless promos to sophomoric humor.  And, the list goes on and on and on.  Human beings can pretty much find something to complain about in any given situation.  WWE is no exception.  The only difference is that the complaints about the main programming are valid.

Raw and Smackdown have obviously found a formula they are comfortable with and aren’t in any hurry to change it up. Long promos that do nothing to promote anything.  The same matches week after week.  A commentary team that is more about talking about anything other than the happenings in the ring.  Recaps of previous shows.  The shows are full of rematches, recaps, and repetitive BS.  They are stale and in desperate need of some sort of change.  It is sports entertainment at its….finest??

Enter NXT. True, it’s only available on the WWE Network, but it’s fresh, fast paced, and damn good.  It’s a wrestling show.  There are very few things I can find to complain about it.

I mean, I can’t quite decide if Sami Zayn’s music is catchy or annoying. Those big wavy things with arms that pop up during Bayley’s entrance creep me out a bit.  Emma’s bubbles have to go.  And, Alexis Bliss’ glitter is just obnoxious.  But, that’s just about all there is to complain about.  The rest is pure wrestling gold.

Commentary 

NXT has a commentary team that knows how to do what they are there to do. They build up the talent in the ring.  They sell the matches.  They call the moves in the ring.  They refrain from telling stupid jokes and totally going of the rails.  They keep the audience invested in the match, the wrestlers, and don’t turn the commentary into some sort of joke.  The main roster commentary teams could learn something from the NXT team.

In Ring Promos 

The in ring promos in NXT are short, sweet, and on point. They don’t drag out into 20 minute monologues that make the audience quickly lose interest.  The men and women get ahold of the microphone, engage the audience, make their point, and leave.  It’s a beautiful thing to watch and hear.

Backstage Interviews

Once again, these are on point segments. No stupid humor, no off topic ramblings.  The wrestlers say what they mean and mean what they say.  They serve a purpose other than filling time during the show.  They are short segments that serve to further the storylines and keep the audience invested in those storylines.

Storylines

Speaking of things that make sense, the storylines and angles do just that.  They flow.  They flow seamlessly.  They are easy, they are organic, and they aren’t forced.  The commentary team promotes them.  The wrestlers promote them.  The audience gets into them and actually gets them.  They provide continuity and logic.  They don’t come out of left field week after week.  They give the audience something to get invested in and stay invested in.

Tag Teams           

In NXT, the tag team division is strong….and highly entertaining. Blake and Murphy.  Enzo Amore and Big Cass.  The Vaudevillians. The Lucha Dragons.  These guys are great.  I am especially fond of Enzo Amore; he’s an odd looking dude that has “it”.  These teams put on great matches and make the NXT Tag Titles mean something.  It’s not the same thing week in and week out.  NXT puts solid emphasis on their tag team division; it’s not forced.

The Women 

NXT has women wrestlers, not Divas. These women can get in there and go.  Some of them are better than the men.  They don’t get in the ring and pull each other’s hair, roll around, or fight in bra and panties matches.  They fight.  They wrestle.  Charlotte, Shasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch…these are wrestlers that just happen to be women.  And, they are damn good at what they do.  And, the audience knows it and appreciates them.

The Men 

Kevin Owens. Finn Bálor.  Hideo Itami.  Sami Zayn. Baron Corbin.  Solomon Crowe. Tyler Breeze. These are wrestler’s wrestlers.  These guys aren’t sports entertainers.  Owens is a machine.  Itami brings that Japanese flair to his matches.  Zayn is the nice guy that can kick ass.  Corbin is a monster.  Crowe is the unknown who can win at any time with any move.  Breeze is the pretty boy that is as tough as nails.  And Bálor….Bálor is arguably the prettiest (and I mean his moves), smoothest wrestler in the business today.  Love them or hate them, the fans are invested in these men and are vocal about it.  They appreciate the effort they give, the talent they have, and the fact that they share it in an almost selfless way.

At this point in time, NXT is considered a developmental system. Every so often, WWE calls up wrestlers from NXT for spots on the main roster.  But, look at the history of those call ups.  Bo Dallas has been lost in the shuffle, as has Adam Rose.  The Ascension has been relegated to nothingness.  Rowan has been relegated to jobber status, and Harper isn’t far behind.  Paige, after a stellar debut, hasn’t been used to her full potential.  Neville just got called up and narrowly avoided being rebranded with some sort of Mighty Mouse gimmick.  Wyatt, Rollins, Ambrose, and Reigns have been the lucky ones…although one can argue that they have no clue what to do with Wyatt or Ambrose, who are two of the most talented guys on the main roster, and Reigns, who was on the precipice of becoming a failed experiment.  The men and women who flourish in NXT seem to flounder on the main roster, for the most part.

So, what is the solution?

If it were me, and once again, this is my opinion, I would have Raw and Smackdown be the sports entertainment arms of WWE and have NXT be the wrestling show. At this point in time, if I were part of the NXT roster, I would be very, very wary of being called up.  The main roster doesn’t have a great track record of treating NXT stars very well.  When one watches the shows side by side, Raw and Smackdown seem a bit cartoonish compared to NXT.

So, make NXT the wrestling brand of WWE.

Promote it as wrestling. Promote it on the main roster shows.  Show vignettes on Raw and Smackdown.  Have a match between NXT talent on Raw or Smackdown every once in a while.  Show the “casual” fans of those shows what they are missing.  Promote the talent on the main shows.  Grab the audience’s attention, and if they want to see an actual wrestling show, let them see what they are missing by not having the Network.

Leave the sports entertainment to Raw and Smackdown. They can have John Cena, Sheamus, The Bellas, The Big Show, and all the rest of the characters.  Leave the wrestling to NXT and let guys like Ziggler, Bryan, Cesaro, Kidd, etc., shine in a wrestling spotlight.  It’s the best of both worlds.

NXT alone, if promoted properly, can be a bigger selling point for the Network than any gabbing by the sorry main roster commentary team. It’s just that damn good.

** After my last article, I feel the need to point out that the above is my opinion.  I don’t want there to be any confusion. **

What do you think? Comment below with your thoughts, opinions, feedback and anything else that was raised.

You can find me on Twitter @AbbeyBrooke2121. Until next time….