Why WWE Is Making Its Biggest Long-Term Mistake Right Now

american alpha revival
WWE.com

How can you be aware of NXT UK and think that WWE's approach to NXT, post-October 2019, is remotely a good thing?

If NXT continues to win the battle for overall viewership - really, the Thursday fallout is at present an optics battle perceived as the loss that it is the by TV industry - it will represent a pyrrhic victory.

The greatest trick NXT pulled was convincing the world it wasn't a WWE show. And now that it so nakedly is, it is, yes, harder to enjoy. NXT once marketed itself, perfectly, as an alternative to WWE. It felt like Triple H was conspiring, in a secret we were all in on, to reimagine WWE's future without the knowledge of Vince McMahon.

NXT used to be the nice show as much as it was the good show. This is a key misconception. The rise of Bayley, Sami Zayn, American Alpha and #DIY illustrated the core appeal of the old NXT. It was a babyface promotion that told endearing and euphoric babyface stories through the medium of scintillating professional wrestling worked in a gear the main roster didn't. NXT was feel-good professional wrestling. This mutated into a dry quest for critical acclaim, around 2018, and what we are left with now is another quest entirely.

Now it's the show that functions exclusively and transparently to kill off the new nice and good show. NXT is harder to enjoy than ever because they've turned the f*cker heel. They have. Your writer doesn't like it any more than you do. But it's hard to "enjoy both" when one show exists now - crucially, to its detriment - as this reactive weapon.

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 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!