NXT : An Indy Perspective
Who would’ve thought that NXT has made all this progress within only 2 years of being active? I remember when it first came to life back in August of 2012. I remember catching a few episodes and thought that it was basically a watered down indy show. The characters, the stories being told… I didn’t see or feel any form of connection. I feel it was apparent with the crowd response from show to show. There was a lot of awesome talent, just being under used. Under used talent, with a low tier show… what can you do?
It always annoyed me that these talents that were brought in, had to do really dumb, idiotic, mini-games on live television, or on a taped show. These men and women are wrestlers… can they be treated as such? Don’t misunderstand, fun and games are fine, but… who will take you seriously if you’re just f*****g around playing catch or whatever gimmick on T.V.? So for a while, I quit watching it. I felt it was no different than what we do on the weekends, just more in production and maybe a different range of characters… but not much else. 2013 hit, everything changed.
The talent that was brought in, the direction, better stories, more production value… this became “The Show” for me. When I say direction, I mean the talent acquisition for the most part. I don’t recall all the talents brought in around this time, but I feel this show was saved due to this factor specifically. You brought in some pretty big guns from the indy world, and some from wherever… Not listing all, but the relevant ones now – Cesaro, Zayn, Rollins, Ambrose, Big E (This wasn’t a 2013 add, but I was a fan of the Percy Watkins character… ah… least I forget Xavier Woods, wanna say he was somewhere in the 2012 mix?) I feel their performances helped bring everyone’s game up. Everyone from that point from when I look back to now, stepped up, and stepped up in a big way. Quality of matches? Up. Better booking, up. More production value, not that the WWE has ever had a production issue. That’s your money, the goal is to get your fan base to invest in your product, have them attached. Proper booking does wonders and when the payoff hits, it’s magic. We think of the payoff as a huge thing of course, as it should be. However, today’s fan(s) aren’t stupid. They’re not oblivious, and they will be so quick to call us out in a heart-beat.
2014 has come, and this product is on fire. My only gripe is the commentary, but if you can disregard it, the wrestling you witness is amazing! Plus this roster is loaded. I mean take a look for yourself at some of the big names, you’ve got Charlotte, Neville, Balor, Hideo, Owens (Kevin Steens new last name), Zayn, Kalisto, Konnor, Viktor, and Bayley. Yeah, you can say some of these newer guys aren’t proven yet, but see… they’re already battle tested to the world. Florida is a hot bed for wrestling, and I assure you… these women & men will do quite well. William Regal said it best, “If you are a competitor in this industry, NXT is quickly becoming the place to be.”
P.S. – You can watch all NXT episodes on the WWE Network for just $9.99. Special promo, you can get a month of the Network, no commitment, for free if you sign up!
Remember to follow me, Ken Lee on twitter: @KoreaKEN_LEE
