NXT...

[Roadster]

I was thinking of the recent NXT call ups, like Neville, Baron Corbin, Bo Dallas, The Ascension and Tyler Breeze and it seems that all have flopped or have hit a major slump. These are all guys that have been called up since 2014, when NXT became a Network selling point. My point being that maybe the over-saturation and quasi-brand that NXT has become has hurt NXT rather than help it.

If you look at the call ups prior to the WWE Network's NXT series, like Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Big E, The Wyatt Family and Xavier Woods, they were much more successful and were able to get their careers going. They had some slumps, but did not stay there. They were able to establish themselves and a clean slate, with no real ties to their NXT days so they can be molded and fitted into the WWE's main roster's style.

What I'm saying is that WWE's decision to build a separate brand with NXT has allowed for over-saturation and has encumbered the WWE into booking them in a way to please their established fan bases, despite it not exactly working. In other words, the guys are too established to be considered call-ups because the WWE has an unassailable difference in style. Both in-terms of wrestling, storylines and booking.

If NXT was smaller, and had less of an audience, they could establish characters that can be much more flexible to WWE's bookers and their style.

 

[Stopspot]

That's not the problem at all.

The problem is Vince. He has very little to no involvement in NXT, but is still the one who decides who gets called up. And while Hunter and the NXT staff do recommend people, it is still Vince with the final word. So Vince brings up people he sees once or twice and thinks look cool or hilarious, but he brings them up without a plan.

How are these guys expected to get over when there's no direct plan with bringing them up to begin with?

 

[Prince Bálor]

Sooo... Finn, AA, Tye and Bayley to all flop next? :

 

[Gman003]

Look at enzo and cass tho. Huuuge fan favorite. At roadblock I hadn't even heard of them (didn't watch any nxt then either) but the whole arena knew who they were, and after that match made me a fan too.
I'm sure American Alpha aswell will be huge. Same as nakamura, Finn, etc.

 

[edge4ever]

That's not the problem at all.

The problem is Vince. He has very little to no involvement in NXT, but is still the one who decides who gets called up. And while Hunter and the NXT staff do recommend people, it is still Vince with the final word. So Vince brings up people he sees once or twice and thinks look cool or hilarious, but he brings them up without a plan.

How are these guys expected to get over when there's no direct plan with bringing them up to begin with?

This is correct. The issue usually revolves around Vince pushing up younger talent. I really feel that once Vince is gone, you'll see more guys from NXT and starters in WWE make it big.

 

[Stopspot]

Whoever is brought up with a purpose will get over.
Whoever is on the roster period, who has a purpose will get over.

For some talents it is also an issue with them getting over. But the right booking can get almost any talent over.

If you bring up a guy with a six month plan for him, he is going to be over by the end of those six monts.
If you bring a guy up just to bring him up, do something with him for 3 weeks and then move on when he isn't shiny and interesting anymore. Don't be surprised when he's not over (Tyler Breeze is the perfect recent example of this).

 

[edge4ever]

Whoever is brought up with a purpose will get over.
Whoever is on the roster period, who has a purpose will get over.

For some talents it is also an issue with them getting over. But the right booking can get almost any talent over.

If you bring up a guy with a six month plan for him, he is going to be over by the end of those six monts.
If you bring a guy up just to bring him up, do something with him for 3 weeks and then move on when he isn't shiny and interesting anymore. Don't be surprised when he's not over (Tyler Breeze is the perfect recent example of this).

I agree with what you're saying, but I don't agree with the "guys who have a purpose will get over." Technically speaking most of the guys have a purpose; their purpose just happens to be shitty and no have much emphasis on decent feuds.

 

[Stopspot]

I agree with what you're saying, but I don't agree with the "guys who have a purpose will get over." Technically speaking most of the guys have a purpose; their purpose just happens to be shitty and no have much emphasis on decent feuds.

I think I wasn't clear enough with my definition of purpose.

Some guys have purposes by just being on the roster, enhancement talent for example.

But by purpose, I mean someone who is booked in a program. Again I am going to use Tyler Breeze as an example.

Breeze did not have the greatest win/loss record in NXT. He lost more than he won, especially on the bigger shows. But he always had a purpose, a direction. His character was always moving. And as a result. He was over like rover. In comparison before he adopted the Breeze gimmick, and was just on NXT to have good matches, he was not over at all.

There is a difference between having a purpose on the card, and having a purposeful existence as a character.

Most of the NXT roster can be used as an example of this. Starting off as warm bodies used to win matches and take up spots, then removed for a while and returned with a character and purpose, and they end up being over because the fans are given something to latch on to.

 

[Swift]

Vince knows best.

 

[Roadster]

Vince knows best.

Hardly. Wanting The Undertaker to be a giant turkey, wanting to fuck his daughter for entertainment or Steve Austin to be Chilly McFreeze isn't the best. But I give him credit for working and finding ways out of certain situations.

For every genius idea the man has 10 weird ones.

 

[Swift]

Hardly. Wanting The Undertaker to be a giant turkey, wanting to fuck his daughter for entertainment or Steve Austin to be Chilly McFreeze isn't the best. But I give him credit for working and finding ways out of certain situations.

For every genius idea the man has 10 weird ones.

I see nothing wrong with any of those ideas.

 

[Snowman1]

To use your own example, look at Xavier and Big E, both were on the train to nowhere and it was going really really fast.

Under their original booking, Big E was a guy, Xavier was basic enhancement talent. Both guys had their ceilings pretty capped before Woods came out in Malcolm X gear, they feuded with the company over being given a horseshit gimmick, they slowly and creatively turned heel after discovering the power of being a dick... Then added to the gimmick. The entrance. The twerk. The trombone. The booty shaking...

New Day was the first case of "original NXT booking" working on the main roster, where either in or out of kayfabe you watch characters evolve and go on a journey instead of doing the same routine forever... But this was why Bo Dallas was such a beloved figure on NXT as he became such a lovably hatable delusional dork over time, and why he never reached that point on main roster...

It's also likely why NXT has changed as well, instead of building up a character like Bayley to the point where you can get Brooklyn fans legit crying over watching a woman win a belt, it's much of a series of "Heyyyyyy here comes this guy who was cool somewhere else, imagine the dream matches with everyone else!" Which is great, but they seemingly got tired of putting so much effort into Tyler Breeze and watching the end result...

idk rambling here, but since WWE realizes it's 2016 and they understand who's most likely to get over, Rollins gets pushed to the moon and KO is thr man and Zayn is relevant and Enzo and Cass are saving Cena... While Crews/Corbin sit on the bench, fair or no.

 

[edge4ever]

I see nothing wrong with any of those ideas.

That's because sometimes you're an idiot