10 More Ways WWE Could Mine Nostalgia During The Empty Arena Era
Red letter days and more themed Sunday nights.
As if to remind NXT fans when they needed it most that the black-and-gold brand and the main roster are still different things, TakeOver: In Your House was an absolute blast.
The card was strong in spite of a bit of a stinker in the middle, whilst the overabundance of nostalgic overtones in the presentation went way further than even the most optimistic of New Generation zealots (*waves*) could have imagined. It was a really, really good time and a useful tonic to much of WWE's Empty (or, now, full-of-exhausted-extras) Arena Era.
The faster the world's most powerful forces push us all back out of our houses, the faster wrestling companies will be looking to coerce us back into buildings to watch the action. The hope alongside is that is that much of the experimentation that has actually worked will be applied to the product in whatever form it takes in the new normal.
But what of the remainder of the time inside the Performance Center or curtained-off Full Sail University? Backlash almost definitely won't bring those swinging hooks back on Sunday as TakeOver did with the glorious picket fenced Orlando home stage, but they shouldn't lock shut yet more creative endeavour in the meantime.
10. The OG NXT
NXT is a very serious product.
Too serious, may critics have argued. Not least in the shadow of AEW's strong grasp of good wrestling comedy. The counter - and if it isn't, it should be after another lousy cinematic match at TakeOver: In Your House - is that the black-and-gold brand can't do it well, so they don't bother trying at all.
But there wouldn't half be some gallows humour in forcing the sternest roster in WWE to take a night off playing their characters and split into rookies and pros for a night of contests, immunity points and promos about moustaches all hosted by William Regal and Matt Striker making a one night return to the role as sh*t-talking host.
After bucketloads of callbacks and reminders that Striker was all too keen on the failures of those given very little chance to succeed, he could make a break for the car park only to be met by a beating from Karrion Kross. Before he can be left to fester on the concrete, El Phantasma's masked accomplices then whisk him away in their van, at long last disposing of any lingering memories of the original brand.