NXT was previously Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), WWE's developmental territory, where superstars could be built from the ground up without the pressures of constant TV time or potentially apathetic crowd. NXT was built to continue that process. However, NXT has become the home to so many darlings of the independent scene, most if not all of whom already have over 10 years experience in the squared circle, that it's almost ridiculous how star-studded the roster has become. As recently as 3 weeks ago, NXT was home to the stars previously known as PAC, Prince Devitt, Samuray del Sol, KENTA, Kevin Steen and El Generico, all well-established names in independent wrestling. And yet, NXT is developmental. It's like watching an actor win Best Actor at Cannes, then go back to drama school. While it's wonderful that the WWE is securing its future by bringing in so much exciting talent, this has the effect of turning what should be a territory where new wrestlers can be built and packaged from a position of relative inexperience, to a gala presentation of the best in the independent business. When this handpicked wunderkind are pushed straight to the top of the NXT card (Kevin Owens nee Steen won the NXT Championship two months after debuting), what is to become of wrestlers like Mojo Rawley, Bull Dempsey or Baron Corbin who have less experience and indy cred? How the audience supposed to not resent matches featuring 'lesser' talent when they have Finn Balor (Devitt) and Hideo Itami (KENTA) on the roster? Even worse, singles stars like CJ Parker get used as enhancement talent for the bigger guys. CJ Parker recently left the WWE because he wanted to travel the globe and get more experience on the independent circuit. The idea of someone leaving a developmental territory in order to go get more experience seems paradoxical, but it's not. NXT is not doing what it set out to do anymore, at least not as much. As Parker himself put it: "It's not really developmental anymore, it's the third brand."
