7 Ways NXT Is WWE's New SmackDown

3. The Return Of The General Manager

It started with Commissioner Foley. The charismatic charmer behind three of WWE€™s greatest superstars came back with vengeance as he led Raw with his distinct brand of insane humour and hardcore antics back in 2000. Since then, the role of caretaker on WWE€™s flagship programs has been filled with a hit-and-miss array of faces affiliated with the WWE universe. There have been the good (Steve Austin, Eric Bischoff), the bad (Brad Maddox, Vickie Guerrero) and the weird (the Anonymous G.M. a.k.a Hornswoggle) but what there hasn€™t been is consistency: until NXT... What you get with NXT€™s General Managers is the kind of quality that comes with some of the most towering figures in sports entertainment. By starting with the American Dream Dusty Rhodes who was already a key creative figure behind the developmental program, NXT created a General Manager position that seemed to transcend kayfabe. His appointment would become a worthy template for those who would follow him and, so far, his successors (JBL and currently William Regal) have not disappointed. Finally, WWE has a General Manager that not only seems relevant to its programming, but necessary to its success.
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Screenwriter, musician and all-round troublemaker who, when not lifting weights or securing buildings poorly, is here writing about wrasslin' and other crazy things.