NXT: 10 Worst Creative Decisions Of The Full Sail Era
Sometimes you'd swear you were watching Raw.
WWE's NXT is generally considered the best weekly wrestling show on television. In my opinion, it is.
The storylines are logical, the characters are engaging, the championships matter and the women's division is outstanding. The locker room is comprised of some of the most talented young wrestlers from around the globe and they are all hungry and motivated to deliver the best matches possible.
NXT is awesome, yes, but that hasn't always been the case.
Many will remember when NXT originally aired in 2010, and the so called "Rookies" were paired up with their "Pros". It was apparent early on that WWE hadn't put much thought into it. The rookies competed in ill-conceived "challenges" like carrying a keg around the ring and cutting promos on moustaches.
Wade Barrett would "win" the contract, but then the other Rookies joined him on the main roster anyway as the Nexus, rendering the contest pointless. The next two years wouldn't get much better.
The NXT we all know and love today was born in the Summer of 2012 when the brand relaunched and began taping exclusively at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Under the guidance of Triple H and the late, great Dusty Rhodes, the show slowly evolved into the hottest brand in wrestling. But there were hiccups along the way.
As much as we love NXT, we must remember not to take it for granted. Here are ten creative decisions from 2012 onward that have prevented NXT from achieving absolute perfection.
10. Triple H Shows Up As A Babyface
NXT is Triple H's baby. We all know he is the driving force behind its success and he deserves credit for making the brand what it is. But all too often he likes to remind us of that himself.
Throughout NXT's run Triple H has shown up every now and again to make crowd-pleasing announcements, introduce Takeover events, celebrate the crowning of new champions and generally soak in the love for his product. It would be perfectly acceptable - if he wasn't supposed to be the biggest, baddest heel of the last 15 years.
It's pretty damn distracting seeing the likes of Paige, Neville and Sami Zayn have their arms raised by the despicable dictator who fought tooth and nail to prevent Daniel Bryan from winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship last year.
It's the same (but to a lesser extent) with his wife Stephanie McMahon, who plays the most loathsome character on WWE television, yet wants to get the pop for bringing the NXT Divas to Raw. They're both trying to have their cake and eat it too.
The future of WWE is in safe hands with Triple H, but he still has to decide whether he is 100% face or heel. Trying to play both at once is only serving to stroke his own ego.