WWE Confirms NXT's Return To The Road
WWE's developmental brand announces eight house shows beginning next month.
After more than two years, NXT is finally returning to the road, announcing Tuesday that the developmental brand will resume house shows beginning next month.
During NXT 2.0, a promo video broke the news -- which WWE.com followed up on in more detail -- that NXT will start up its live event tour across Florida beginning June 10. Tickets for the first eight events through June and July will go on sale this Friday.
One of the biggest -- and most valid -- criticisms about NXT 2.0 since the brand reboot in September has been that in the absence of untelevised events, young, green wrestlers have been developing almost entirely on TV. This has made for several lackluster, and sometimes outright embarrassing, matches airing on national television.
It's not fair to young talent who want and need to hone their craft in front of a live audience. Nearly every wrestler who has come along cut their teeth in front of smaller crowds at the proverbial fire hall or high school gymnasium. NXT utilized its house show loop to great effect throughout the 2010s.
#WWENXT is going back on the road! pic.twitter.com/QfAN72qGSe
Advertisement— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) May 18, 2022
Obviously, the COVID pandemic put a kibosh on those tours, but despite welcoming live audiences back for NXT tapings last summer, the brand didn't resume its live events until now.
Hopefully, this announcement means that NXT's inexperienced superstars will get the reps they need to improve in the ring, making mistakes and learning from them in front of smaller audiences so that when they show up on TV, they're more polished and complete wrestlers.