21 Things We Learned From The WWE Network's NXT All-Star Panel

14. Talents Want In On NXT

NXT All-Star Panel
WWE.com

It was interesting to see how both Finn Balor and former NXT Champion Kevin Owens talked about how they would watch NXT way before they set foot in Full Sail University.

Such was, and is, the interest in NXT amongst those wrestlers outside the WWE umbrella. Owens even talked about how he would’ve been hugely bummed out if he’d have been placed straight on the main roster before he’d had the chance to immerse himself in the NXT world.

This goes to show just how much of a pull the NXT brand alone is these days. Guys who are established elsewhere, who are making a decent living off the wrestling business, are prepared to turn their nose up at the main WWE roster in order to take a huge pay drop and put in their time down in NXT.

Names likes Balor, Owens, Neville, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Apollo Crews and Samoa Joe were all making far more money elsewhere than they were (and are) in NXT, plus they got to pick their own schedules, yet they all chose to head to the WWE’s developmental system.

Again, this is just another indicator of why NXT is arguably the hottest wrestling product out there today.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.