Skip to main content

NXT Impact on Debuts

By
Hey Scott,

Do you think NXT is going to eventually hinder wrestler debuts?

Depending on whether or not WWE goes to outside talent which it doesn't debut on NXT first (Hopefully that statement doesn't seem laughable in the coming months). Which means there will never be a real situation where a wrestler will be able pop up on WWE or show up in vignettes without everyone already knowing about that wrestler long before he shows up. Example: If Rusev had shown up on Raw wtih Lana on any random day prior to showing up on NXT, I would've said, "huh, that's something new." Now I feel like I've seen it. And the more exposure NXT gets, the less any real surprise is going to arise through debuts. Is this just the nature of the current WWE beast and/or do you think this will be a problem?

​Depends on the character, I guess.  Adam Rose is still a pretty fresh character and didn't get overexposed on his three appearances in NXT, even if we already saw everything of Leo Kruger we ever wanted to in one lifetime.  In fact I think it would have been smarter to leave him in the Kruger gimmick and just debut the Rose one on RAW since they were planning to bring him up so quickly anyway.  That being said, no one knew who Emma was, so it's not like NXT is giving them THAT much exposure.  A more interesting case will be someone like Mojo Rawley or the Ascension, who has already hit the wall of what they're going to be as workers and characters in NXT, and how that will translate to RAW with something of a fresh start.  Personally I'm sick of the Ascension squashing geeks for months on end, but the thing is that the Full Sail crowd is a completely different animal than the travelling circus that is RAW.  It's like Homer's experiences as a mascot in Springfield and then his callup to Capital City.  

So yeah, given they don't like surprises in their new guys and want to know 100% for sure that everyone will shake hands backstage a million times the proper way, I'd say it's just the nature of the beast now.  

Comments

  1. WWF1987April 25, 2014 at 8:44 PM

    Dolph Ziggler shook a million hands backstage when he re-debuted.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chris ArrantApril 25, 2014 at 8:50 PM

    WWE can and has had wrestlers work at the training facility without using them on NXT television. In terms of wrestlers being damaged by debuting on NXT first, for the most part history has shown it not to bee too much of a problem. Awareness by segments of the audience before their main roster debut has helped the likes of Paige, Adam Rose, the Wyatts, And the NXT debuts of the Shield, Brodus Clay and others didn't seem to defray from their main roster debuts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. johntcoleApril 25, 2014 at 9:00 PM

    I'm still curious to see if the Ascension works on the main roster. They've got a good gimmick, look, are credible brawlers, and have a nice finisher but them doing longer matches is the question. I've grown to like them so I hope it works out.
    Mojo is an interesting case as well. Again good look, size, and tons of energy but his wrestling skill is in serious question. And to advance in WWE nowadays you have to at least be a decent worker to back up your character.

    ReplyDelete
  4. bignasty96April 25, 2014 at 9:20 PM

    Is this a joke? Everyone will know them? NXT is watched by about 1/10th of the Raw audience. 90% of the crowd watching at home has no idea NXT exists.

    ReplyDelete
  5. ABeyAnce1April 25, 2014 at 9:23 PM

    I wouldn't say 90 percent....

    ReplyDelete
  6. johntcoleApril 25, 2014 at 9:24 PM

    Like Scott mentioned one big issue about testing out potential characters in NXT first is that the crowd there is so different than a Raw crowd, or most Raw crowds.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your_Favourite_LoserApril 25, 2014 at 9:32 PM

    i thought this thread was going to be about the flagship tv show for the developmental territory for all the tna guys whose contracts wwe subsumed when it bought out dixie/panda

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your_Favourite_LoserApril 25, 2014 at 10:06 PM

    random: so much fun could be had with the name of taker's triangle choke. googley-eyes-plata, go-go-gadget-plata

    ReplyDelete
  9. daltonimperialApril 25, 2014 at 10:13 PM

    It does hurt pure shock, but it can be very helpful: look at the great reaction Paige got on the post-WM Raw, which (I assume) had a greater percentage of hardcore fans who knew about her through NXT than the typical Raw audience in, say, Arizona; because she got a loud welcome from a vocal portion of the audience, those who had no idea who she was popped when she beat AJ.


    It could hurt debuting NXT acts whom the hardcore fans (which I assume overlaps a fair amount with the "vocal adult males" at shows) dislike (Rawley?) or grow tired of (Ascension, based on at least one comment), but WWE will still be able to shape a great majority of its fans opinions because of how relatively small the Network subscriber base is.

    ReplyDelete
  10. RevDeanApril 26, 2014 at 2:46 AM

    You're both right. I think a lot of people KNOW about NXT, because they keep talking about it and advertising it, but let's be honest... how many people really watch it on a consistent basis? Is it even 10% of Raw's audience?

    ReplyDelete
  11. joedustApril 26, 2014 at 10:56 AM

    I think they all went nuts because Paige is from England and the post-Raw show is a ton of European fans.

    ReplyDelete
  12. joedustApril 26, 2014 at 10:57 AM

    They talk a lot about NXT on Raw.

    ReplyDelete
  13. joedustApril 26, 2014 at 10:58 AM

    The problem is he doesn't wash his hands after going to the bathroom so it rubbed a lot of people the wrong way.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment