10 Ways WWE Will Be Different In 10 Years
4. More Movement Between Brands (Including NXT)
In recent interviews, Triple H has expressed his desire to have more fluidity between his brand NXT, RAW, and SmackDown. Rather than have someone debut in NXT, have a run there, and get “called up” to the main roster permanently, we’ll likely see superstars moving from RAW and SmackDown to NXT and vice versa.
Recently, former New Japan star and NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura was called up onto the SmackDown roster, and it remains to be seen how his success among more niche audiences will translate on the big stage. Plus, NXT continually has a problem where when there’s a great of deal of superstars who get called up, there’s a large decline in product interest. I wouldn’t be surprised if, especially with such a crowded main event scene on the two main brands, WWE felt inclined to move guys like Nakamura back to NXT in order to keep that brand stable as it makes a more global, mainstream push, while keeping current stars such as Andrade “Cien” Almas, Aleister Black, and Women’s champion Asuka as brand stalwarts.
In addition, don’t be shocked if you see the movement of established RAW and SmackDown superstars in order to create buzz and garner interest.