5 Signs WWE's NXT Bubble Is About To Burst

2. Adding Older Big Names Goes Against NXT's Entire Point Of Existence

zayn rhyno owens nxt
WWE.com

Skeptics of the IWC, I can hear your thoughts. All this indie wrestler name dropping and asking "There's no-one out there, who could they possibly sign?" I can hear you swearing at me and shouting names like "AJ STYLES! AUSTIN ARIES! JAMES STORM! CHRISTOPHER DANIELS! WWE SHOULD SIGN THEM TO NXT THIS INSTANT!"

No, they shouldn't, and heres why: they're too damn old.

This is not to discount their skills or ability, far from it. I'm well aware that Austin Aries alone is considered one of the best wrestlers in the world. But he's also 37. Bringing him into NXT serves no purpose at this stage. Again, NXT is a DEVELOPMENTAL brand. What does Austin Aries, of all people, have to develop?

Signing the likes of Rhyno to NXT is a different matter. He's worked for WWE before, he has a connection with fans and management, and he can be trusted. He's in NXT as an enhancement talent, basically. He's a big name to make the young guys look good. But the likes of AJ Styles, James Storm, or Samoa Joe, for that matter? These are men who have long since wrestled their best matches, and if you worked in talent aquisition for WWE, these are not the guys you bring in and expect to build the company around for ten years or more, its not going to happen. 

WCW and TNA both made the mistake of signing guys long past their prime simply because they were big names and trying to build the company around them instead of the younger talent. NXT is the exact opposite of that philosophy, which is why signing guys past their mid 30s to a developmental brand is pointless in the long term, and why I find it difficult to see Samoa Joe making it in WWE.

Contributor
Contributor

Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.