The Quote That Sums Up WWE's Problem Perfectly

Pete Dunne
WWE

To be reductive, all NXT does - particularly since most every talent that joins the main roster isn't the trained-from-scratch collegiate athlete - is take a long, long time for Vince McMahon to drastically mishandle potential stars. It also, at its best, produces great in-ring wrestling. Kyle O'Reilly Vs. Pete Dunne from December 16 was a late contender for WWE TV Match of the Year. It was awesome; beautiful for its deliberate ugliness, the two men worked a proper, convincing scrap within the rhythms of a pro wrestling match that peaked brilliantly.

But here's the thing: there was no reason whatsoever why this couldn't have taken place on RAW or SmackDown, and even less reason why WWE has to attach a gigantic, expensive, failing Performance Center to what is now a defensive shield masquerading as a niche workrate brand. Broadly, Dunne and O'Reilly were as good before entering the WWE system as they are inside of it. The few wrestlers who don't change much mostly spend their prime years in NXT gradually eroding their intrigue and value ahead of the doomed main roster promotion. Dunne, O'Reilly and select trusted others are outliers in a system that is designed to ready talent for Vince McMahon's main roster.

Aleister Black isn't a great talker; in fact, the more he talks, at least within WWE's scripted model, the more his mystique erodes to the point of embarrassment. Vince McMahon took the stoic warrior of NXT and transformed him into an undergraduate philosophy student struggling to make his essay word count. Because you see, everybody must talk.

All the time!

CONT'D...(3 of 6)

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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 current Undisputed WWE 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!