As disappointing as WWE has been in 2014, quite the opposite has been true about its developmental territory, NXT. Whereas NXT originally began as ECWs successor, a rigged game show for developmental wrestlers, today it is a fully functional promotion that operates a lot like an old regional territory. And its really entertaining to watch. Much has been written about NXTs logical storylines, straightforward booking and outstanding special events on the WWE Network, but probably one of its strongest assets going forward is its abundance of in-ring talent. WWE has embraced the independent circuit that brought them Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and CM Punk, and has signed several top-level wrestlers, giving WWE a deep bench of NXT talent that would make any startup promotion envious. Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens all made names for themselves on the independent scene and/or abroad and are now the backbone of NXT. They all have had memorable moments this year as part of NXT, and all could make a huge impact in WWE in 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U_R29pb3Xk If theres one shining positive when looking ahead to next year, its these prospects and some of the young superstars making an impact in WWE right now. Book them properly, and there could be a bright future in store.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
