NXT, Kayfabe And Perception

[Bo Rida]

Lately there have been a fair few discussions that have touched on how NXT should be treated within the wider WWE landscape but I think we should have a thread dedicated to the subject.

Should we treat NXT  purely as developmental? Something that only exists to train future stars for the main roster even if that leads to a substandard show in the short-term. 

Or it essentially a third brand? It reaches a wider audience than the old developmental systems and as it's on the network/international TV stations is there a minimum standard we should expect from the show and the wrestlers that appear on it?

Of course we should probably see it as a mixture of the two, how should the two different needs be balanced? Should people like Zayn and Paige be kept on NXT for as long as possible to carry that show or should they be called-up to Raw ASAP? How much slack should be given to wrestlers that aren't quite clicking or poor episodes?

While we're discussing that we may as well touch on the kayfabe issues.
Should NXT stars be capable of beating main-roster talent? Why would main roster wrestlers want NXT titles? Are things that happen on  NXT always cannon when it comes to the main roster?  Should Paige struggle against the likes of Aksana and Fox on Raw/Smackdown when she could easily beat them on NXT?

[Reflecto]

Apr 18, 2014 10:58:20 GMT -5 Bo Rida said:

Lately there have been a fair few discussions that have touched on how NXT should be treated within the wider WWE landscape but I think we should have a thread dedicated to the subject.

Should we treat NXT  purely as developmental? Something that only exists to train future stars for the main roster even if that leads to a substandard show in the short-term. 

Or it essentially a third brand? It reaches a wider audience than the old developmental systems and as it's on the network/international TV stations is there a minimum standard we should expect from the show and the wrestlers that appear on it?

Of course we should probably see it as a mixture of the two, how should the two different needs be balanced? Should people like Zayn and Paige be kept on NXT for as long as possible to carry that show or should they be called-up to Raw ASAP? How much slack should be given to wrestlers that aren't quite clicking or poor episodes?

While we're discussing that we may as well touch on the kayfabe issues.
Should NXT stars be capable of beating main-roster talent? Why would main roster wrestlers want NXT titles? Are things that happen on  NXT always cannon when it comes to the main roster?  Should Paige struggle against the likes of Aksana and Fox on Raw/Smackdown when she could easily beat them on NXT?

I'd assume that NXT's better perception would be similar to how you'd perceive Triple-A baseball (top minor league) in the US:

In both cases, you'll have a mixture of the top prospects immediately (your Zayn/Paige), your prospects who don't it right now, but have enough potential to say in about two years they'll be something special (say, Mojo Rawley as an example), your AAAA-level workers (people like Yoshi/Aksana/Fox- clear major leaguers, but still easy to beat by top prospects), and your AAA lifers who are pretty much peaked (think, CJ Parker.)

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Treating it as a third brand is the way to go, because then you get to enjoy it as by far the best show the WWE is putting out.

[froggyfrog]

Apr 18, 2014 13:13:02 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Treating it as a third brand is the way to go, because then you get to enjoy it as by far the best show the WWE is putting out.

why cant it be enjoyed as developmental?

its not a third brand, its not treated as such by WWE. when the shield debuted they all had diff gimmicks in NXT. if it was a third brand they wouldnt just change gimmicks without explanation like that.

people should be called up to WWE when they are ready/needed and re-purposed as wwe sees fits

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

If an NXT talent beats a main roster talent, it should be treated as a major upset, not as a sign that the main roster guy has fallen out of favor with the office or is low on the totem pole. It just makes the main roster guy look bad for no reason

No matter how low a main roster guy is in the pecking order, he should never get flat out squashed by an NXT guy either.

Also if an NXT talent CAN beat a main roster talent, why are they still on NXT?

[Deleted]

Apr 18, 2014 13:48:25 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

Also if an NXT talent CAN beat a main roster talent, why are they still on NXT?

Because even in kayfabe wins and losses don't matter as much as how entertaining you are

[mrjl]

Apr 18, 2014 13:48:25 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

If an NXT talent beats a main roster talent, it should be treated as a major upset, not as a sign that the main roster guy has fallen out of favor with the office or is low on the totem pole. It just makes the main roster guy look bad for no reason

No matter how low a main roster guy is in the pecking order, he should never get flat out squashed by an NXT guy either.

Also if an NXT talent CAN beat a main roster talent, why are they still on NXT?

because the guys in the front office haven't called them up

[Deleted]

Apr 18, 2014 13:48:25 GMT -5 CATCH_US IS the Conversation said:

If an NXT talent beats a main roster talent, it should be treated as a major upset, not as a sign that the main roster guy has fallen out of favor with the office or is low on the totem pole. It just makes the main roster guy look bad for no reason

No matter how low a main roster guy is in the pecking order, he should never get flat out squashed by an NXT guy either.

Also if an NXT talent CAN beat a main roster talent, why are they still on NXT?

To continue the minor league baseball theme. You can be a minor league pitcher and strike a guy who has come down from the majors... That doesn't mean you'll leapfrog into the starting rotation of the Yankees.

If you beat a main roster guy, good but it's also about ability, stringing together momentum and timing.

[Allie Kitsune]

Apr 18, 2014 13:13:02 GMT -5 carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army) said:

Treating it as a third brand is the way to go, because then you get to enjoy it as by far the best show the WWE is putting out.

I pretty much see it as WWECW all over again, just without The ECW Zombie.