10 Ways WWE Rebuilt NXT In 2017
3. Twists And Turns
When John Cena was shuffled into a front row seat for the NXT Title Ladder Match between Neville and Bo Dallas in February 2014, the intention was to manufacture an implied sense of importance in the developmental brand's first live main event.
In the end, the match spoke for itself, but the company persisted with the 'stars-in-the-crowd' trope as an intriguing way to pepper shows with an exciting potential vision of future talents soon to debut. It became an alternative to traditional methods of introducing talents, but in rapid time became just as formulaic.
The growing stoicism to the device was partly what made Adam Cole's TakeOver: Brooklyn 3 debut so scintillating. Joining Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish in a post-match assault on new NXT Champion Drew McIntyre after the duo had already laid waist to new Tag Champions SAnitY earlier in the night, Cole skipped the pleasantries to aggressively insert himself at the top of the card in shocking cliffhanger conclusion.
It was the second time NXT had gone out on such a shock this year, and was almost as effective as a similarly brutal assault that took place at the climax of TakeOver: Chicago. Almost...