4 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE NXT (Jan 24)

1. Leaving Center Stage

William Regal Center Stage
WWE

This week's show was NXT's last from Atlanta's Center Stage Theater. WWE will tape the next episode prior to this Saturday's TakeOver special, then return to Full Sail University for afterwards. Normal service will soon resume, and while it's hard to be annoyed by this, it's a shame NXT has to leave such a wonderful venue.

These tapings have been a complete success for NXT, and the change in presentation is a huge part of that. The Full Sail setup is stale. NXT has looked the same for a long, long time now, and the crowd aren't as engaged or excited as they used to be. Nothing demonstrates this better than the hushed silence that greeted Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate's excellent United Kingdom Title match in December, but such tepid atmospheres are nothing new for the burned out Orlando crowd.

To contrast, the Center Stage fans have been fantastic. They cooled off a little this week, but for the most part, they've created the kind of red-hot studio atmosphere NXT used to be known for. Heels are booed, faces are cheered, and everything goes over well. This is largely down to freshness, of course, but it'd be great to see WWE put the building on a regular taping rotation, trading months with Full Sail in order to stall the venue's creeping stagnation.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.