10 Recent Things That Didn't Go WWE's Way

Looking at the absolute state of Tuesday nights compared to the electric, developmental, super-indie Triple H and his pals were certain could sink the All Elite competition makes for a painful examination for those who once bled black and gold.

A much-needed escape from the tired and stubborn "main roster", super workers were given the freedom to craft pulsating narratives and showdowns to rival just about anything on offer elsewhere in the wrestling sphere. But said traits were soon shared by the aforementioned newcomers and the second it became clear that Tony Khan's team were leaving NXT in the dust, Vince McMahon's finger slamming down hard on the panic button was as inevitable as a Mad Titan snapping his fingers.

In the place of effortlessly cool, current and charismatic displays from well-versed performers was the new vision; hulking mountains of youthful, green that fit the mould of WWE Superstar and supposedly appeal to a younger audience. Sure enough, the in-ring quality dipped, the cartoonish gimmicks boomed, and sex soon reigned supreme.

The result? NXT 2.0 hasn't crossed over the 700,000 viewer mark since October and the 16-49 demo hasn't bobbed above 0.20 since September.