Since making its debut as a reality competition series, WWE NXT has grown and developed into one of the most popular wrestling shows of the week for the company. In what was originally a training ground for aspiring professional wrestlers, NXT is now a destination point for many of independent wrestling’s top stars. Names like Finn Balor, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, and more have made their way to WWE NXT and used it as a springboard to the WWE main roster. In a recent interview with NBC Sports , Triple H said that is about to change when it comes to NXT.
What Does Triple H Have Planned For WWE NXT?
While many wrestling stars have seen WWE NXT as a way to finally make it to the big leagues of the WWE, that isn’t how Triple H sees the company continuing to operate. According to Triple H, WWE NXT has become an alternative to Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live . He said that all three brands feel different and that makes NXT something some wrestlers can strive to reach.
In other words, wrestlers starting out in WWE NXT and working hard to move up to Monday Night Raw or SmackDown Live might not remain the goal. Instead, Triple H said that wrestlers can move from one of the two major shows to NXT and not consider it a step-down but an equal move.
#WWENXT Live Results – Largo, FL (12/16) https://t.co/44j1YStepf
— Wrestling-News.Net (@WN_Net) December 17, 2017
WWE NXT As A Development Roster
While Triple H said that wrestlers can move from the main rosters to WWE NXT, he did mention that does not mean that NXT won’t be used as a developmental brand as well. There is still the training center in Florida and those wrestlers getting their starts will still get their chances in NXT.
However, as recent years have shown, WWE NXT has a lot more than just developing stars. Japanese superstars like Shinsuke Nakamura, Hideo Itami, and Asuka all came to NXT and needed little to no training outside of learning to work the American style.
On the other hand, names like Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode, Eric Young, Roderick Strong, Austin Aries, and more came to WWE NXT after a strong career in the indies, as well as mid-majors like Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling, and immediately succeeded.
Roderick Strong, Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, Aleister Black, Drew McIntyre, Johnny Gargano, and more are now holding the WWE NXT banner after building a fan base and a significant body of work in the indies. These wrestlers fit the style of the NXT brand and that is where Triple H sees it growing in the future.
Someone like Dolph Ziggler, Bobby Roode, or Finn Balor could move to WWE NXT and put on some of the best matches of their career, and Triple H does not see that as a step-down. He said that one day it won’t be a demotion but will be a move to a different environment.
