Without a doubt, NXT has evolved into one of the most popular brands of sports entertainment today.
The talent, the creative team, and the fans have helped it become something that has rivalled both RAW and SmackDown in recent years. Some may even say that it’s surpassed the flagship brands, especially since it is now being treated like a third main roster show.
From a small developmental brand to selling out arenas all over the country, there are very few things that NXT hasn’t been able to accomplish. But there are a few things that I think they could still pull off in 2020, so let’s get right into it!
Starting things off is something that we got a taste of last month at Survivor Series. We witnessed NXT establish itself as the top dog in the battle for brand supremacy, winning four of the seven matches on the card.
But what would happen if NXT started to be featured on those pay-per-views more often? What if they were to show up at SummerSlam, the Royal Rumble, or even WrestleMania? This would not only establish them as the definite third major brand for WWE, but also put them on a much larger stage than ever before.
The problem this would cause, however, is that it would render holding NXT TakeOver events completely irrelevant. In my opinion, this would not be the right move. Many people tune in to TakeOver to see what the black-and-yellow brand has to offer before their RAW and SmackDown counterparts.
In all honesty, a lot of fans, myself included, look forward more to watching TakeOver than whatever is held on Sunday night. While RAW and SmackDown’s pay-per-views are on a much larger scale, it’s the quality of the few matches on a TakeOver card that keeps people consistently tuning in time after time.
So, while NXT participating on “main roster” pay-per-views could be a possibility in the new year, it’s one that I think they should stay away from.
Up next is something that NXT has actually done before in the past.
Yes, NXT UK is a thing, but when was the last time the NXT brand as a whole has gone out of the country? Besides when they used to wrestle at the annual Download Festival, their last major show was NXT TakeOver: London all the way back in 2015.
The show served as the finale of NXT’s first tour of the UK, where they competed in Newcastle, Glasgow, Sheffield, Blackpool, Nottingham, and Cardiff. The tour itself was a huge hit with fans and proved that NXT was a legitimate draw not only in the United States, but internationally as well.
RAW and SmackDown have been touring out of the country for decades now, so why should NXT be any different? Again, I get that NXT UK exists, but it just hasn’t caught on the way many had hoped it would. In addition, the fans overseas might want to see a show that they could only get right now if they came over to the states.
So maybe in the new year we’ll get to see NXT take their talents across the pond, perhaps by having some friendly competition with NXT UK.
Finally, we look at something that could make a lot of people happy.
Sometimes things just don’t work out when NXT talent moves to RAW or SmackDown. It can be because of a variety of factors; they might get lost in the shuffle, not have the same momentum they once had, or creative just doesn’t know what to do with them.
This has been seen plenty of times before, with Finn Balor, the Riott Squad, Aleister Black, Fandango, Tyler Breeze, and Drew McIntyre to name a few. It’s almost like a tale of two careers, with many wondering just what went wrong.
But recently we have seen a few superstars make their return to Full Sail to help get themselves back on track. First it was Breeze and Fandango, followed by Balor, with all three men getting the shot in the arm they desperately needed on the main roster.
Maybe more talent should be able to go back to NXT if the timing is right. Getting to see guys like Black and McIntyre return to the black-and-yellow brand, as well as women like Ruby Riott and Ember Moon, would be something that many people wouldn’t mind seeing.
To take it one step further, include NXT in the Superstar Shake-Up if you really wanted to spice things up a little. Could you imagine talent like Becky Lynch, AJ Styles, or even Brock Lesnar calling NXT home? It could definitely create some interesting situations if it were to ever happen.
We’ll have to wait and see what NXT has in store for us. But one thing is for certain: they’ll still be the brand to beat in 2020.
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