NXT Success

Scott,

You had mentioned the other day how in an ideal world NXT would split into a true developmental division and a division for the experienced guys to work who are not yet on the main roster. The NXT event in Dallas demonstrated how the guys with prior experience working together can outshine virtually the entire main roster in the ring.

My question is in your opinion, how much of that success is due to them being wrestlers who trained and worked for years before the WWE learning the essentials of calling a match and connecting with the crowd without being overproduced, versus them just not being yet exposed to the hassles of being on the main roster? Isn’t there significant value in learning to work in a more traditional setting before working the hard camera and WWE style, instead of just starting in the WWE system?

​Yup. Clearly as "developmental", NXT isn’t working, because there’s been very few guys who they’ve developed from scratch. What it IS effective for, as noted, as is teaching indy guys how to work WWE Style on TV, and that’s a very useful skill.

Now, on the women’s side, they’ve been very effective. Pumping out Sasha Banks, Paige, Charlotte, Emma and Becky Lynch is much more impressive, so obviously the person actually doing the training also makes a big difference. ​