10 Ups And Downs For WWE In 2014

By Scott Carlson /

3. NXT And Its Recent Signings

As disappointing as WWE has been in 2014, quite the opposite has been true about its developmental territory, NXT. Whereas NXT originally began as ECW€™s successor, a rigged game show for developmental wrestlers, today it is a fully functional promotion that operates a lot like an old regional territory. And it€™s really entertaining to watch. Much has been written about NXT€™s logical storylines, straightforward booking and outstanding special events on the WWE Network, but probably one of its strongest assets going forward is its abundance of in-ring talent. WWE has embraced the independent circuit that brought them Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and CM Punk, and has signed several top-level wrestlers, giving WWE a deep bench of NXT talent that would make any startup promotion envious. Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens all made names for themselves on the independent scene and/or abroad and are now the backbone of NXT. They all have had memorable moments this year as part of NXT, and all could make a huge impact in WWE in 2015.If there€™s one shining positive when looking ahead to next year, it€™s these prospects and some of the young superstars making an impact in WWE right now. Book them properly, and there could be a bright future in store.