WWE are only setting up the 13,500 capacity Barclays Center to accommodate around 7,000 fans at NXT's Takeover Brooklyn show on August 22nd. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the company will be setting up for half the number of people who are due to attend SummerSlam in the same building the next night. This is the really big test of NXT as a commercially popular brand. Having a bit of cool buzz on the internet is great, but NXT doesn't make money and usually only plays to crowds of 500 to 1,000 people. It achieved a crowd of 4,700 over WrestleMania weekend, but that was off the back of the wrestling world converging for Mania. Raw and SummerSlam sold out instantly when announced for the Barclays Center. Although the NXT show will be set up for half of the capacity, WWE could always release more tickets if sales go well. It is really an experiment to see how well NXT can do when supported by build on television and taking place in a hot New York market. The fact that people are already in town for SummerSlam gives the show every chance of succeeding. The worst case scenario would be it doesn't even sell 5,000 tickets, anything that low would be a real black mark against the perception of the brand. It will be a Network special as well, with the build-up expected to be a huge part of NXT television this next month.
