WWE Rumors: Vince McMahon To Become More Involved With ‘NXT’
One of the most appealing aspects of NXT for wrestling fans is that it’s unlike the main roster product. While the black and gold brand is dedicated to building the future stars of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live, the storylines and in-ring action are considered much better than what we see on the company’s flagship shows.
The reason why NXT is different, however, is because it’s spearheaded by Triple H. His idea of what makes a good wrestling show isn’t the same as Vince McMahon’s, but given the smaller scale of NXT, he’s allowed more creative freedom.
With NXT potentially moving to FOX in the near future, though, the WWE chairman is about to become more hands-on with the development brand. Citing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter‘s Dave Meltzer, WrestleTalk reports that McMahon and Kevin Dunn will be more involved with the show going forward.
The report also notes that — if NXT moves to FOX — the show will reportedly be given two hours and go head-to-head with All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming weekly show. With both companies potentially competing for ratings dominance as a result, Meltzer believes that McMahon’s involvement is inevitable.
NXT moving to FOX is concerning some wrestling fans, though. According to WhatCulture, jumping to the new network will require the show to become more mainstream, meaning that more main roster talents will appear on the development brand and make it seem like another version of Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live.
Both companies going head-to-head would certainly make Wednesday night wrestling more exciting. At the same time, by thrusting NXT into such a huge spotlight for the sake of pinching ratings from another company, coupled with adding established main roster stars, WWE risks losing what makes the brand special.
We have some scary news to report:https://t.co/0O5IiuFmWW
— WrestleTalk News (@WrestleTalk_TV) August 10, 2019
There’s been no confirmation as to what we can expect from NXT if it jumps to FOX, though. Perhaps the show will remain the same, only with an extra hour to give more airtime to its talented roster.
The black and blue brand is WWE’s most acclaimed brand, but its exclusivity to the WWE Network means that its audience is niche. If the show was available to more eyes on a weekly basis, it’s highly possible that more fans will gravitate toward it without any changes having to be made in order to appeal to casual viewers.
The audience NXT is designed for is similar to AEW’s fanbase. Both products are for fans who want a more sports-centric product, with engaging storylines and hard-hitting action.
If WWE wants to steal ratings from AEW, keeping NXT separate from the main roster brands is the smart thing to do.
