6 Similarities Between NXT Of Today And The TNA Of Yesterday
4. A Complete Wrestling Show
NXT comes with a decidedly more old-school feel than anything else on WWE programming today, and this subsequently enhances its appeal.
For years now people have referred to the centre portion of the card on WWE main roster shows as 'mid card purgatory', a feeling that if you weren't in the main event you were likely to be running in the hamster ball until you were.
NXT bucks this trend, by focusing on stories and characters across the board. At the TakeOver specials almost every match matters, whether it is the first or the last.
Each title means something, be it the NXT Championship, Women's Championship or Tag Team Championships. NXT is a wrestling show from top to bottom, as opposed to a wrestling show that solely feeds the top.
Years ago TNA was much the same. It had its main event scene, but it also had a healthy card from top to bottom. All divisions outside of the top strap were focused on too, meaning stars could be created in the tag and X divisions, not to mention the ladies.
One of the reasons TNA started to fall apart was because this focus changed.
Both NXT today and TNA years ago appreciated and understood the importance of the middle and lower ends of the card.