7 Countries Better Suited For NXT Than Japan
With rumors about a plan for NXT Japan, what other countries would be a better place to expand?
Rumors are swirling around the potential of NXT going international once more with an addition in Japan. So far unsuccessfully, it seems. Perhaps even twice, now. With that being said, is Japan the smartest move?
Of course from a wrestling fan standpoint, there may be no more passionate and consistent fans than those in Japan. But that consistency is also what makes an American company near impossible to succeed. The loyalty to companies (especially Japanese companies) is unlike anything in any industry in the United States.
As a result, the fight for control in the Land of the Rising Sun will always be an uphill battle. Yet expansion doesn't have to be.
There are several more countries that would be much better suited for their own NXT brand. In fact, some of them are likely more lucrative long term than a move to Japan.
And with NJPW making the jump to US soil with a subsidiary of their own, it may be best to leave the spotlight off Japanese wrestling for the time being anyway.
Regardless of what the competition does, the company needs to do what is best for Triple H's brainchild. And if they think growth and expansion will do that, then there are quite a few better candidates for countries who would welcome the black and gold brand with open arms.
See, while AEW is looking to change the world, WWE is looking to buy it. But what country could be "NXT" to sell?
7. China
Politics aside (just like Saudi Arabia), WWE could do much worse than picking this massive Asian country. With its 1.4 billion or so citizens, there are plenty of potential customers. This dwarfs the 127 million or so with Japan, roughly only 9% or so of China's massive number.
Now granted, wrestling has not caught on anywhere near the level it has in Japan, but that can be changed. And WWE seems to want to be a part of that.
Returning to Shanghai for the 4th year in a row this past September, WWE has also begun to sign developmental talent from the area such as Xia Li. They also began streaming all of Raw and SmackDown to China via a smart partnership with PPTV back in 2016.
Their eyes are clearly set on making China a priority for their business to grow going forward, and there may also be incentive now that OWE (China's only current home-based pro wrestling company) have been partnering with competitor AEW.
Combine with OWE being only about two years old and WWE wanting to claim supremacy before the market even exists, and this could be a messy and less talked about side of the Wednesday Night Wars.
But it may also one of the best long term homes for NXT if WWE chooses to pull the trigger.