10 Ways NXT Can Recapture Its Lost Buzz

NXT was once the hottest wrestling product inn the world, how can it regain its lost momentum?

Ember Moon Rhea Ripley
WWE

Before 2020, NXT was the go-to wrestling program for many fans. The workrate was incredible, the characters were well defined, and the one-hour episodes ere delightfully digestible. While not every show was essential, the stories that it had created were so compelling that it often made RAW and SmackDown look like the real B-Shows.

2019 and 2020 have put NXT in a difficult position. The move to USA Network has extended the run time to two hours which serves as a double edge sword for the product. Matches get more time, but the show can often feel a bit stretched. The obvious flaw brought about by this move is the competition with rival promotion All Elite Wrestling. This Wednesday Night War has led to problems for both shows, particularly NXT.

Maybe the creative team felt a bit shaken by the debut of another brand, but the storytelling has become very messy in NXT since the inception of AEW. This could be boiled down to many things; hot shot booking, injuries and main roster call ups have all halted the show's momentum at some point.

WWE should put all their creative energies behind NXT, but how do they revive this once-incredible product?

10. Build To TakeOvers, Not Super Shows

Ember Moon Rhea Ripley
WWE.com

Something NXT has been guilty of during its run on the USA Network is its booking of title matches. For a long period of time there were title matches on almost every show, which in turn devalues the belt. Such contests should be saved for the TakeOver events and shouldn't be used as a booking crutch or a cheap ratings grab.

The most blatant example of this was the Great American Bash event, which only existed to directly compete with AEW's Fyter Fest show. These super shows often have strange booking decisions overshadowing them. For example, Keith Lee and Adam Coles match was very clumsily booked, with no long-term ramifications for either the NXT Championship or NXT North American Championship. Lee simply vacated the secondary title two weeks later.

These shows halt some of the long-term stories that used to run rampant in NXT. Instead, they resort to short one-month long feuds that don't have a very satisfying payoff. Eliminating them completely would allow for the TakeOver build to be recovered.

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