After Takeovers like that....

[Society of the Spectacle]

Who needs to be on the main roster? I mean, let's get some things straight: most wrestlers will make the most money and get the most exposure that they ever will in wrestling by being a member of the main roster. That's a given. This is NOT an indictment of the talent.

Summerslam is upon us and as a fan, I look at the future paths of WWE and NXT.
The roster, from the main event on top of the Summerslam card to the "curtain jerkers" on Takeover last night is so stacked with talented guys and girls that it is uncanny.

And yet for the foreseeable future, there's going to be a logjam for top spots on the main roster. Part of that is the stacked roster, but the other more damning half is the booking team being set in their ways.

What I am saying in a roundabout way is that as a fan, I'm okay with NXT being the end game for a lot of talent. Of course I want them to get the money and exposure that their talent deserves, but I also think that there is a cultural shift where a lot of of these talents would rather steal the shows than make the most money on them. That endears me to them as a fan. But despite what Vince will tell investors on a company conference call about how he loves NXT, you can bet that that attitude doesn't necessarily endear them to him.

I have little faith that the main roster booking team aka Vince will know or care how talented and passionate people like Tyler Bate or Shayna Bazler, or Kairi Sane (or basically anyone on that card last night) are when their time comes to be called up.

You can debate that Hunter is raiding the indies and/or is sucking up to smarks, but he has assembled literally the cream of the wrestling crop that is available. You can despise his personal wrestling career all you want, but someone that actively strives to present Adam Cole and Ricochet on the biggest stage possible, signs maybe the best woman wrestler in the world in Io Shirai so that she can show her skill to the widest audience possible, signs people like Sara Del Rey and Robbie Brookside to be trainers, builds a brand behind Pete Dunne, brings Mauro Ranallo back from the brink of quitting to utilize his insane knowledge and energy about combat sports... That's what I want as a wrestling fan, and that's the type of of person I want running the biggest wrestling show in town.

So if the end game for Hunter is to create a NWA style organization for NXT, that crosses oceans, styles, and a diverse set of talent, I'm all about that. If Matt Riddle never even appears on the main roster, but main events Takeovers against Aleister Black or Ricochet or Pete Dunne, I'll be fine with that as a wrestling fan. That Nakamura's best WWE match was in NXT doesn't make me see him as a lesser superstar. Him being booked as a low blow artist on the main roster does though.

I have tickets to both NXT Wargames and Survivor Series in LA this year, and though some of of my favorite wrestlers like Bryan, Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Asuka, and so on will be on Survivor Series, I am infinitely more excited for Takeover because I know that the booking of the show will let the talent show how talented they are.

I won't have to worry about Kyle O'Reilly being eliminated by a flash roll up after two minutes in an elimination match like I'm sure another prime talent like Andrade Almas will at Survivor Series, I'll get to enjoy him showcasing his kooky mash-up of jiu-jitsu and comedy, probably in a steel cage with TUE. I won't have to worry about Kairi Sane being background collateral to a sports entertainment angle between the chosen blondes where she is just a warm body that at best will valiantly take a heat seeking pin from Alexa Bliss like I predict Ember Moon will, I'll get to see her dropping her elbow in a barn burner of a match, probably against someone like Toni Storm.

Some fans deride NXT and use the analogy that it is just Hunter playing with a box full of shiny toys. However Vince has an even better toy box, with toys that used to be Hunter's, but because of that fact are now even shinier. And yet, when Hunter had Sasha and Bayley in NXT around Summerslam, they were having one of the greatest women's matches of all time in Brooklyn. In WWE, it's Summerslam and they don't even have a place on the card and don't appear to have glimmering prospects going forward. And you can bet that Vince couldn't care less.

The day will come when Vince's vision of WWE will no longer be able to depend on the goodwill being genersted by NXT, because it will have stepped right over him, and he'll have to find himself on the other end of the torch passing. And for all the respect I have for Vince and his accomplishments, I find myself more than ever looking forward to that day.

[CeilingFan]

Great post!

[Cronant]

NXT works the way it does BECAUSE they get rid of people and send them to the main roster when they get big and cycle them out. Its a much less smaller scale, everyone gets to complete their stories in 2 years or so, and they start over again. Everyone you liked in NXT like Sasha and Bayley would be booked terrible if they were still there, because they'd be making room for the current crop and putting them over.

The NXT/Main Roster is gigantic case of apples and oranges and people STILL don't see it because they overreact after every Takeover.

[Society of the Spectacle]

Aug 19, 2018 10:03:40 GMT -5 Cronant said:

NXT works the way it does BECAUSE they get rid of people and send them to the main roster when they get big and cycle them out. Its a much less smaller scale, everyone gets to complete their stories in 2 years or so, and they start over again. Everyone you liked in NXT like Sasha and Bayley would be booked terrible if they were still there, because they'd be making room for the current crop and putting them over.

The NXT/Main Roster is gigantic case of apples and oranges and people STILL don't see it because they overreact after every Takeover.

Yes it is apples and oranges, and I agree that the roster is almost too stacked now(and will only get more stacked) and people will have to cycle in and out. No one, no matter how deserving should be on every show all year round. The problem is that not every deserving NXT orange will be given the opportunity to be the shiniest red apple they can be in WWE. Not everyone is cycled out. Talent is pigeonholed for their main roster runs. Neville deserved a legit main roster run after his tremendous Cruiserweight reign, but Vince will now only know him as a 205Live guy and would laugh at the suggestion of him going against Roman Reigns. That's a travesty.

I'm saying that I'm fine with NXT staying it's own thing and having talent that stays there longer term until WWE has an opening for them that will actually let them shine. But it will eventually bite the man roster bookers in the ass. Put an NXT supercard before Wrestlemania, where alumni, NXT UK, 205Live and MYC participants are represented, and I'm confident that you will have a card that will rival the main roster show in terms of excitement, entertainment, viral status, and yes even attendance.

I bet you could even have someone sympathetic to what NXT is doing like Bryan headline that show against Nakamura (for main roster name value) with an undercard that featured the best talent under the NXT umbrella, and it would sell out any arena in America.

[sportatorium]

A couple of thoughts.

NXT seemingly never gets stale because Takeovers are spread out and the TV show is only an hour long. It feels like old school wrestling that leaves you wanting more.

I agree that the main roster is stacked and they are in a great position to stop booking the part timers. The Reigns-Lesnar stuff aside, SummerSlam is a very good card. Booking remains a problem on the main roster. I personally think Styles-Samoa Joe is about as poorly booked as a title match can get. Bryan/Miz is about the mildest blood feud that we could ask for.

[Mid-Carder]

If I were a wrestler I would rather be in NXT. If it's more fulfilling as a fan, it must be more fulfilling as a wrestler.

[Redbeard's Ghost]

Over-saturation kills the main roster. NXT gives you just enough to never get sick of it. I look forward to Takeovers much more than any WWE main roster PPV.

[Cronant]

Aug 19, 2018 10:41:37 GMT -5 Society of the Spectacle said:

Aug 19, 2018 10:03:40 GMT -5 Cronant said:

NXT works the way it does BECAUSE they get rid of people and send them to the main roster when they get big and cycle them out. Its a much less smaller scale, everyone gets to complete their stories in 2 years or so, and they start over again. Everyone you liked in NXT like Sasha and Bayley would be booked terrible if they were still there, because they'd be making room for the current crop and putting them over.

The NXT/Main Roster is gigantic case of apples and oranges and people STILL don't see it because they overreact after every Takeover.

Yes it is apples and oranges, and I agree that the roster is almost too stacked now(and will only get more stacked) and people will have to cycle in and out. No one, no matter how deserving should be on every show all year round. The problem is that not every deserving NXT orange will be given the opportunity to be the shiniest red apple they can be in WWE. Not everyone is cycled out. Talent is pigeonholed for their main roster runs. Neville deserved a legit main roster run after his tremendous Cruiserweight reign, but Vince will now only know him as a 205Live guy and would laugh at the suggestion of him going against Roman Reigns. That's a travesty.

I'm saying that I'm fine with NXT staying it's own thing and having talent that stays there longer term until WWE has an opening for them that will actually let them shine. But it will eventually bite the man roster bookers in the ass. Put an NXT supercard before Wrestlemania, where alumni, NXT UK, 205Live and MYC participants are represented, and I'm confident that you will have a card that will rival the main roster show in terms of excitement, entertainment, viral status, and yes even attendance.

I bet you could even have someone sympathetic to what NXT is doing like Bryan headline that show against Nakamura (for main roster name value) with an undercard that featured the best talent under the NXT umbrella, and it would sell out any arena in America.

This Takeover card was largely filled with people who weren't even around for last years Brooklyn card. The entire reason why they all come off better is because its short term. They get their stories, get to be booked as the center of attention, and then written off with the next talent comes in so THEY can be that center. 

When you decide to switch up the formula, you get exactly what happens on the main roster. Having only 5 shows to build for, only 5-6 matches at those shows, only an hour of TV, all of that plays into what makes NXT. Having people 'hang around' in NXT will only lead to them jobbing for the guys that are going to be pushed down the road.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

NXT is in a weird position, where it’s already so good but you know it could be so much more. However, any attempt to become more and grow the brand could very, very easily ruin what makes it so special. I 100% believe that they could be doing a 2 hour weekly, with a TakeOver every 4-6 weeks but if not handled perfectly you’d get the same over saturation you see on the main roster. Same with if you started paying big money for people to be NXT exclusive, then they easily become stale. I honestly don’t know what the right answer is.

[Pushed to the Moon]

Aug 19, 2018 11:54:00 GMT -5 Redbeard's Ghost said:

Over-saturation kills the main roster. NXT gives you just enough to never get sick of it. I look forward to Takeovers much more than any WWE main roster PPV.

This is a major thing about NXT that I think separates it from WWE. The difference is that crowds go to NXT super excited and ready for something great. I guarantee like half of the crowd going to SS will be ready just to shit on the action and "stick it Vince" or whatever. (Not saying that would apply to you! Just generalising). Rabid crowds can make such a difference to the enjoyment as a viewer. So much of the Attitude era was garbage but crowds going mental for everything made it watchable.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

I always find it weird that people say that the WWE roster is too bloated. I would definitely say there are guys around who don't need to be there (like, do we really need Epico around?). But the issue I have with WWE TV is the over saturation in how often I see the same guys every week. It feels like each roster uses no more than the same 16-20 people each week. In NXT, most people don't appear weekly. And I don't even mind someone appearing weekly but not wrestling every week. If you have a big roster, use different guys at least sometime. Give different people chances to shine and make a name for themselves.

[Bo Rida]

One of the things I've always liked about NXT is the fact there are consequences, come up short in a big match on the main roster and there's a good chance you'll get another 20 chances.

On NXT it may be the last chance to win a title. Major NXT names like Becky Lynch, Enzo and Cass or Tyler Breeze never won the big one so there's always a chance your latest favourite won't either.

It just makes everything mean more.

[clifford]

The thing is, the Raw and SD rosters at this stage are like, 80% NXT alumni. And yet feels totally different, in a bad way. In like 2 years time the main roster will literally be almost completely NXT sourced and still suck.

[Bungle]

Nobody's dream is having a career NXT,everybody wants to leave the faster the better.
Takeovers are not infalible or the peak of quality wrestling (basically everywhere you can see the same exact matches)

And Hunter is more responsable when a talent fails that when they have a "great match".

[sarkerpolseng]

To the OP, this is one of the better posts/topics. It is exactly how I think of NXT in my head.

[A Platypus Rave]

Aug 19, 2018 11:49:15 GMT -5 Mid-Carder said:

If I were a wrestler I would rather be in NXT. If it's more fulfilling as a fan, it must be more fulfilling as a wrestler.

depends if you want to be paid.

[HMARK Center]

Frankly, it's why I can't really get into watching NXT: no matter how good the shows are (and they are good!), there's this prevailing sense of "this isn't the 'main show', and when they move to that level they won't be nearly as enjoyable." It's hard to get super invested with that lingering in the back of my mind.

That said, I don't think it's automatic that people staying in NXT for more than a couple years would get overly stale; the format of the show is that not everybody's on TV every week, and the booking focuses a lot on trying to give the big Takeover matches a story behind them to inform what happens in the ring. With a formula like that people stay fresh longer, so long as you can keep thinking up new stories for them to be involved in. Heck, it's how most non-WWE promotions operate.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Honestly, I don’t really see the appeal of staying in NXT. “I want to stay and have good matches” M G, you can do that on house shows, lmao.

Give me that main roster bread. f*** killing myself for years before I make my real money

[TheMediocreWarrior]

Aug 19, 2018 9:31:28 GMT -5 Society of the Spectacle said:

Who needs to be on the main roster?

NXT's creative team.

True, they have less TV to plan and write for. I still think they would do a better job of planning long term and making the weekly TV matter.

[A Platypus Rave]

Aug 19, 2018 14:54:40 GMT -5 TheMediocreWarrior said:

Aug 19, 2018 9:31:28 GMT -5 Society of the Spectacle said:

Who needs to be on the main roster?

NXT's creative team.

True, they have less TV to plan and write for. I still think they would do a better job of planning long term and making the weekly TV matter.

they've moved up at least on of NXT's writers... the problem is they are allowed to do their jobs in NXT, without needing to worry about Vince or the network.