THIS Is The One Man Who Can Save WWE

NXT 5 March
NXT

NXT showcases excellent professional wrestling on what isn't necessarily an excellent TV show on an episodic basis that proves compelling week to week. Those that don't have an undying love for the programme - which despite its huge push on RAW pulls in less than a third of Monday's not-great audience - lack that connection because the storytelling is basic and there is a synthetic, over-produced in-house quality to the show, not too dissimilar to that of the main roster, that replaces silliness and bad jokes with serious, operatic business. This isn't (just) a subjective opinion. NXT only generates serious buzz on TakeOver shows, and even then, the increasing, excessive melodrama influenced by Producer Shawn Michaels is beginning to invite scorn. The ratings reflect the idea that NXT is no longer the future.

If you are in investor in WWE, you are looking at those Nielsen ratings with a certain apprehension over the company's long-term future under Triple H's vision, and that does not factor in his big, failing, money-losing quest of NXT localisation. NXT UK is a ghost town of a brand rejected or ignored by its target audience, while NXT Japan in its embryonic stage is even less tenable.

NXT had the currency, and so (too) much of the talent, and it hasn't transitioned to TV success, which is troubling. It is precision-engineered as a response and alternative to what fans of the main roster have bemoaned, and it is it outdrawn by the main roster to a significant extent.

Is Paul Heyman equipped to take over the creative side?

CONT'D...(2 of 5)

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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 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!