It's Official: WWE NXT Has Jumped The Shark

by Michael Sidgwick
Biven Boys
WWE

More recently, Malcolm Bivens has taken charge of an ostensible Authors of Pain reboot in Rinki and Saurav. The parking lot remains an inexplicably unsecured danger zone. The Women's division, its best movement back in November, now feels confused and at the condescending mercy of the AEW counter strategy.

And, most tellingly, the TakeOver formula has faltered. This is a more contentious point to make - TakeOver: Portland was incredibly well-received - but there's a creeping counter-narrative emerging. Short of advancing the formula, NXT is intensifying it to a preposterous extent. The amount of content and near-falls in every match - the genre of which never really changes - is as exhausting as a Mauro Ranallo pop culture reference. The finishes to any match involving Gargano, Ciampa and the Undisputed Era is overbooked.

NXT is a show with next to no levity, creative freedom or range, and a show that is a heightened and repetitive version of its peak. It has descended into parody. The memes, the ratings, and the lack of buzz all bear this out.

"NXT is brought to you live on Wednesdays on USA. But Mondays, Tuesdays - we're rockin' all week with you because we have jumped the shark, Nigel!"

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!