10 Ways NXT Got Its Groove Back
5. The Place To Be
You don't need to be entrenched in the wrestling industry to realize that the past 18 months have seen a seismic shift in the public perceptions of NXT and AEW.
When AEW launched five years ago, it was seen as the hottest ticket in wrestling by fans and workers alike. The biggest independent acts in the world were queuing up to make AEW their home, and former WWE superstars soon followed. Even up until 2023, the very idea that any wrestler would choose the relative obscurity of NXT over the bright lights of AEW seemed laughable.
Suffice it say, things have changed.
NXT has seen an influx of disgruntled AEW talent who decided that the grass wasn't greener in Tony Khan's company, and more and more independent wrestlers are choosing NXT as their first port of call. Hell, Former CMLL champion Stephanie Vaquer signed with WWE shortly after wrestling a stellar match in AEW against one of their biggest stars! (Two years ago, there's no way that match wouldn't have been quickly followed by a "Stephanie Vaquer is All Elite" graphic).
NXT is once again seen as the place to be for aspiring indie talent, and that perception has gone a long way to repairing the battering the show's image took during the 2.0 years.