In recent developments within WWE, there has been a marked shift towards a more integrated approach between the main roster and NXT.
This new strategy is aimed at solidifying NXT as a major third brand within the company’‹.
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WWE CEO’s Vision for NXT
WWE CEO Nick Khan has been instrumental in fostering this change. He envisions more tie-ins between WWE NXT and the main roster, a move intended to use the star power of main roster Superstars to boost the show’s ratings.
A recent manifestation of this strategy was the feud between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and NXT’s Bron Breakker, which proved to be a huge success. Baron Corbin’s feud with Champion Carmelo Hayes also followed a similar pattern, further reinforcing the effectiveness of this approach’‹.
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Familiarising the Audience with NXT Superstars
An additional goal of the main roster integration is to familiarise the larger WWE TV audience with NXT Superstars.
By having main roster Superstars appear on the Tuesday night show and vice versa, the audience gets a chance to become more acquainted with the NXT talent. This fosters a greater appreciation for the brand and its wrestlers, potentially leading to increased viewership for the developmental shows’‹.
Writing in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer confirmed the approach: “The plan right now is to have more NXT talent on Raw and Smackdown and more main roster talent on NXT, both of which has become notable the last few weeks. The idea is to try and get the larger audience more familiar with the NXT talent from appearing on the big shows (the use of Carmelo Hayes this week is not the best way to do that because it gave exposure to tell everyone their champion is not a big star in the big scheme of things) and to use the main roster talent to build ratings.”
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Making NXT More Unpredictable
In a bid to make the brand more exciting, WWE officials are keen on enhancing the unpredictability of the USA Network show. In this context, unpredictability refers to the element of surprise regarding which wrestlers will appear on the show.
For instance, WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley’s unexpected appearance on a recent show exemplifies this strategy. This unpredictability not only keeps the audience on their toes but also provides an opportunity for main roster wrestlers who aren’t currently active, like Dana Brooke and Los Lotharios, to participate in NXT events’‹.
Encouraging Initial Results
The initial response to this strategy has been quite encouraging. WWE officials have expressed optimism as recent ratings for the programme have shown a positive trend.
This suggests that the integration of main roster Superstars into NXT, combined with the unpredictable nature of the shows, is resonating well with the audience and could be a successful long-term strategy for WWE’‹.
