New addition to The Chairshot, Tommy Starr, takes his first stab at breaking down the good and bad of the NXT adjustments.

An interesting development in WWE occurred earlier this month with the announcement that NXT would be undergoing a dramatic format change in the coming weeks.  Early rumblings of this news broke on August 8 following the staggering release of thirteen NXT talents two days prior.  According to Dave Meltzer’s comments from Wrestling Observer Radio, the ongoing changes were strictly designed too re-institute NXT’s initial goal of acting solely as WWE’s developmental system.  The wording he had received involving WWE’s vision of NXT’s future direction was, “No more midgets, no one starting in their thirties, they want… box office attractions and main characters.”

While we are yet to see these dramatic changes come into full effect, the skepticism over how this will affect the overall enjoyment of the product still remains a hot-button issue for many NXT fans.  Perhaps, it is worth taking a moment to analyze the potential pros and cons of this format change in order to determine whether or not the concern is warranted.

Pro 1: Refocus on Character Development:

One strong suit of NXT’s older format centered around their focus on creating and establishing unique, homegrown characters. Some were whacky cartoon characters that got over with the audience and saw great results (i.e. Big Cass & Enzo Amore, Sami Zayn, Bobby Roode); others were major flops that did not connect on any level (CJ Parker and Lars Sullivan). Regardless, this is definitely an art form that has been greatly missing since NXT went head to head with AEW. If WWE plans to treat NXT as a real “developmental system” again, a refocus on developing character personas with logical storytelling should give fans more incentive to watch weekly.

Con 1: Drastic Change of Ring Style:

While we may remember the older renditions of NXT gearing heavily toward gimmicks and characters, the one thing we could probably universally agree on is that “match quality” was never remarkable in any capacity. Now that hardcore wrestling fans are the bulk of WWE’s viewing audience, they have also become accustomed to expecting a certain type of fast paced, high intensity ring style. A gear towards younger and lesser-experienced wrestlers would profoundly sacrifice NXT’s evolutionary ring style, which in turn, has the potential to turn those viewers off and divert their attention to AEW.

Pro 2: Reestablishment of Identity:

NXT has had an identity crisis for quite some time. While some may argue it began with the transition to USA Network in 2019, the implementation of established indy talent has popularized NXT to the point where most people view the product as a third WWE brand, instead of a developmental brand. A shared refocus on treating NXT as a developmental system again will provide that distinctive identity that separates itself from the other brands.

Con 2: Narrow-minded Perspective on Talent:

By now, it is no secret that Vince McMahon prefers tanned wrestlers with jacked physiques and larger than life personas. It was true in 1970, and it still holds true in 2021. The problem is that, as professional wrestling has evolved, so have the talents that come through the system (including WWE). Now that wrestlers today are generally smaller and slimmer, “big guys” in the industry are practically rare oddities. So while Vince is having his head of talent relations, John Laurinaitis, scout the independent circuit for wrestlers with bigger size, he is simultaneously discounting probable stars that may not be genetically jacked to the guild. This includes talents that he currently has signed to his product right now.

Pro 3: Stark Contrast to AEW Product:

If we operate under Dave Meltzer’s insinuation that WWE is “conceding defeat” to AEW in the short-lived Wednesday Night War era, then NXT no longer needs to compete with AEW’s product going forward. This provides them with the perfect opportunity to play around with innovative production methods (i.e. camera angles, interview setups, skit formats, etc.). In addition, while AEW continues to hone in on ring action as their main draw, NXT can get back to its roots of story progression and character development during matches.

Con 3: Gutting Bulk of Roster:

Let’s briefly discount the idea of NXT trying to eliminate “midgets” from its roster going forward. Aside from the arbitrary nature of how we define a “midget” in this scenario, if we operate under the idea that WWE is looking to phase out smaller wrestlers in order to shift its focus on bigger wrestlers, we are essentially talking about gutting a vast chunk of the current roster. This includes some of their significant names like Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O’ Reilly, Pete Dunne, etc. In addition to that, there are also talks of phasing out wrestlers over the age of thirty. So now, we are toying with the idea of cutting talents like Timothy Thatcher, LA Knight, Roderick Strong, etc.

So provided Vince McMahon’s vision comes to fruition, NXT’s roster could potentially be boiled down to Top Dolla, Odyssey Jones, and Duke Hudson as the driving forces. And whereas these men may fit into Vince’s idea of “box office attractions,” what happens if they turn out to be flops? What happens if they pass up on talent that does not fit their agenda? We have already seen their treatment of guys like Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Damian Priest, and Dominik Dijakovic on the main roster. How exactly is that “focus on big guys” working out for them?

Ultimately, the story runs a double-edged sword.  The real interesting development here is how USA Network responds going forward.  We have already heard reports in the last several days that executives with USA are not happy with the potential of NXT returning to a taped format schedule.  If viewership begins to taper off on top of that, WWE could find themselves in real hot water in the coming months.

Sources:

• F4W Online . (2021, August 8). Changes are coming to NXT Following roster cuts: Wrestling Observer Radio. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQEOJVQX8eM.

• Nason, J. (2021, August 10). WWE NXT cuts led by VINCE McMahon, changes coming to brand. WON/F4W – WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. https://www.f4wonline.com/nxt-news/wwe-nxt-cuts-led-vince-mcmahon-changes-coming-brand-349416.

• Waddon, M. (2021, August 17). USA network reportedly unhappy with WWE NXT Taping Changes. Cultaholic Wrestling. https://cultaholic.com/posts/usa-network-reportedly-unhappy-with-wwe-nxt-taping-changes.