10 Tough Questions WWE Must Ask Itself In 2021
8. What IS NXT?
Though NXT's identity crisis began long before it moved to USA Network, the issues were exacerbated when the property switched to cable television as a means of curbing AEW's growth, with the product now barely distinct from Raw and SmackDown.
Tedious f*ck finishes, interferences, and distractions have become the norm on a show that used to pride itself on clean, effective, and ballsy booking. Stipulations are spammed to absurd degrees, with NXT now using ladder matches as qualifiers for other gimmicks. Characters like Dexter Lumis exist. Shotzi Blackheart, a grown adult woman, threw a temper tantrum when Candice LeRae crushed her toy tank. The hyperactive, migraine-inducing production style is now indistinct from the main roster.
Nothing about the shift away from traditional pro wrestling and towards overdone Sports Entertainment trappings has benefitted NXT. While the New Year's Evil show (with it's fantastic Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez and Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly matches) shows the brand can still deliver the in-ring goods, wrestlers are increasingly swimming against a tide of weak creative.
NXT isn't an alternative anymore. It should be, and rebuilding it as one is the only way it'll ever catch up with the competition...