The July 22 edition of WWE NXT live from Houston will feature a Triple Threat match for the NXT Championship as well as Blake Monroe’s singles in-ring debut, yet the most-promoted segment will see The Undertaker call out Trick Williams.
It’s far from the first time The Phenom has appeared on the program, and as part of his involvement with WWE’s LFG series, it likely won’t be the last. However, for someone of his legendary caliber, his upcoming appearance on the show doesn’t mean remotely as much as it should.
That’s less of a testament to Undertaker’s drawing power at this stage of his career than whatever WWE is ultimately trying to accomplish with NXT and the various desperate attempts to restore the feeling the former black-and-gold brand once had.
The show that served as the stomping grounds for the likes of Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and most of today’s talent on the main roster has lost a lot of its luster in recent years. It’s reverted to its roots as a developmental territory and that’s completely acceptable, but as a two-hour show that airs live weekly on The CW, there’s no excuse for the brand to not have more buzz with a better creative direction.
From a clear identity crisis to roster-depth issues, NXT’s struggles can’t be fixed without first being addressed.
For the first decade or so of its existence as a “feeding system” of sorts to the main roster, NXT largely had its own identity with an exclusive roster. Superstars from SmackDown and Raw occasionally appeared but always in an effort to elevate or endorse the talent of tomorrow.
The main roster has had more of a presence on NXT since Triple H assumed creative control of the company three years ago, and it’s had its pros and cons.
It’s allowed there to be more storyline and character consistency between NXT and the bigger brands so stars aren’t called up abruptly without fans having any familiarity with them. The extra exposure for the prospects who aren’t as established has also helped in the long run for when they do grace the grand stage eventually.
Unfortunately, the overreliance on the main roster and notable names in general has resulted in periods where NXT championships are held by Raw and SmackDown Superstars. The idea is to put the NXT wrestlers over in the end with them winning back their belts and being bigger stars for it, but it’s been done so often since 2022 that it’s no longer as effective.
NXT is experiencing the law of diminishing returns by constantly relying on legends such as Undertaker, CM Punk, John Cena, Bully Ray, Shawn Michaels and others for a random ratings boot. They may get more eyes on the product temporarily, but if the shows aren’t interesting on their own without them, the benefit is minimal.
Diluted Identity While Working with Other Companies and Brands
One thing Triple H and TKO have been much more open to in the last two years compared to the Vince McMahon regime in its final years is working with other companies.
As the biggest pro wrestling company in the world, WWE has little to gain from lending talent to opposing promotions, especially when its business is hotter than it’s been in decades. That hasn’t stopped them from cultivating working relationships with the likes of TNA, Pro Wrestling Noah, GCW and the NWA, in addition to outright acquiring AAA earlier this year.
It’s been a refreshing change of pace for fans who enjoy seeing an “open border” policy in WWE and the countless possibilities it creates, similar to how well it’s worked for All Elite Wrestling since its inception in 2019.
It’s simultaneously had an adverse effect on NXT, particularly as it pertains to the brand’s diluted identity.
For as long as it exists, NXT will forever be WWE’s go-to developmental system, not TNA, the independent scene or any other promotion. However, WWE has attempted to use other platforms to find new stars and merge them into NXT including the NIL and ID programs, Evolve, LFG and even TNA.
The many crossovers have become less special than they should be and have led to NXT losing sight of what it’s supposed to be and who should primarily be focused on.
