11 Ups & 7 Downs For NXT In 2018
Downs...
7. Failed Projects
Criticising a sacred cow like NXT is always risky, so let's start with an easy one.
NXT systematically failed at getting a number of acts over this year. The Forgotten Ones were thrust into the tag division's lower reaches with no character development, no storylines, and, with fans given no reason to care about them, they've become listless. Shane Thorne and Nick Miller once looked like an exciting tag proposition as TM61, but have floundered as The Mighty. Kona Reeves, meanwhile, was badly exposed when rebranded as 'The Finest,' going from pushable commodity to abandoned goober in a matter of weeks. The list goes on.
This is developmental. These guys are here to learn, we're watching them at various stages in their growth, and not everyone is going to make it. We accept this, but that didn't make the aforementioned names' growing pains easier to watch.
On the positive side, it's way too early to write any of these people off, as each is still a work-in-progress. They have every chance to rebound in WWE's acclaimed developmental system, so let's hope that 2019 brings better fortunes.