It's Official: A New Era Has Begun In NXT

NXT Brawl
WWE.com

On 18 September 2019, NXT made the enormous leap between two very different Networks, moving from its safe haven on WWE's streaming service to the cut-and-thrust world of actual television with USA.

Both sides were theoretically playing things quite safe, even if their goals were a little different. Building off a relationship with Vince McMahon spanning decades, USA had a relatively good idea of what they were getting in the black-and-gold brand. Numbers weren't always revealed from how the show did for WWE (though weekly Top 10s sometimes listed 'Table For 3' et al outperforming it), but TakeOvers sold out buildings comparable to Monday Night Raw and the network's soon-to-be former property SmackDown Live. This was another wrinkle in the arrangement between WWE and USA - the blue brand was about to shift to Fox on Fridays. A week bookended by McMahon programming was about to be halved, until NXT slotted quite nicely into the schedule on Wednesdays - the night it would always air on the WWE Network.

But that's not why it aired on Wednesdays. Nor why it was moved at all.

AEW Dynamite was set to premiere on 2 October on TNT. That NXT got a two-week head start (that was patchy at best - the company had to split the shows between USA and their own Network due to the rush release) speaks to how desperate WWE to marginalise the success of their new opposition before they were even acknowledged as such.

A year later, and that audience-splitting marginalisation is just about the only thing left about the once-beloved three letters that seems to function precisely as intended.

CONT'D...

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett