WWE NXT is not just for the diehard, insatiable WWE fans. It's a showcase of burgeoning talent and is highly entertaining.
The new version of WWE's developmental division has been refined and improved and is bursting with future greats.
When it used to be FCW, the program often felt unpolished. The audience was sparse. The production was just decent. It felt somewhat like watching a scrimmage.
NXT feels much more like a true wrestling program. The new venue has plenty to do with that. WWE now tapes NXT at Full Sail University. The Full Sail venue has the tight-knit feel of the Hammerstein Ballroom mixed with a modern glossiness. It packs the crowd in more tightly.
NXT has more of a focus on wrestling than Raw and SmackDown.
You won't see Michael Cole explaining how to use the WWE app. You won't see trailers for Dead Man Down and The Call.
What you will see is WWE's future wrestling one another and wrestling special guests like William Regal and Yoshi Tatsu. The roster now teems with talent, both male and female.
Beautiful, Powerful Women
The female portion of the NXT roster is stocking up on talent.
WWE just signed arm wrestler Sarah Blackman. The company also recently added MMA- and kickboxing-trained stunt woman Kendra Smith. Blackman is a brawny beast of a woman who may remind fans of Chyna. Smith looks to be an intriguing mix of looks and skills.
Both women will soon join a talented set of women on NXT.
Sasha Banks is a spark plug of a wrestler, a woman with great potential to be a top in-ring technician.
Summer Rae will remind folks of Maryse and Kelly Kelly because of her build and good looks, but it seems she may surpass both those women in terms of ring skills.
The crown jewel of the division, though, is Paige.
She teems with intensity, evident in every move from a headscissors to a series of chest stomps. She's powerful, vicious and beautiful on top of that.
Watching her grow as a performer is going to be a fun ride. Until she gets called up to the main roster, Paige boosts NXT's watchability in a big way.
NXT's Diva division is deeper and more compelling than its WWE counterpart. Before they head to Raw and SmackDown only to struggle for TV time, NXT offers a close-up view of these talented women.
The Future Before It Happens
WWE has made it clear that it is committed to developing new talent through its farm system and then utilizing them under the glare of the main roster's spotlight.
Antonio Cesaro, Big E Langston and each member of The Shield first spent time with NXT or FCW.
Taking a look at NXT's current roster, there are a number of future WWE stars heading upward. Watching NXT is like peeking into a time machine, catching a glimpse of the company's future.
The athletic Richie Steamboat is showing off his crisp ring work. Adrian Neville leaps around the ring as if he has springs for bones. Corey Graves has all the "it" factor one wants in a WWE star.
Bray Wyatt is one of WWE's best characters right now on either NXT or the main roster.
The lyrical ramblings of the demented Wyatt are viscerally compelling. Wyatt has fully embraced the character, seemingly fusing it to himself.
He leads a group of followers called the Wyatt family. Their devotion to him is reminiscent of the Straight Edge Society's relationship to CM Punk.
Where WWE goes with this storyline is sure to be intriguing.
All these promising talents make for great TV. The matches are short so as not to expose folks' limitations and to work them up to longer matches.
Available on Hulu, NXT is not just for fans who watches Saturday Morning Slam without their kids. It's for WWE fans who appreciate seeing greatness sprout.
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