I write this post almost an entire year after our last post. I have lost plenty of interest in the WWE over the past year. I won't lie to you and say I stopped paying attention to it, but my care for it dipped to a point where I would skip shows for a few weeks and ask my Dad what was going on. This is very much a change coming from a guy who used to clamor for every bit of wrestling he could find.
During this time of bad Authority angles, bad Divas storylines, and lack of an interesting mid-card, there was only one thing that held any level of my attention. That one thing was NXT. NXT is based out of my hometown Orlando, Florida. It provided an alternative to what the main shows were offering. When I was unhappy with the Authority vs. Daniel Bryan/Cena/Reigns/Orton or watching Dolph Ziggler get another rug pulled out from under him, I had the Zayn, Neville, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. NXT provided a haven of an old school, once a week, one hour television show. This show has never been perfect, but it has been focused. Every week led to a 2 hour live extravaganza on the WWE Network. Every single live special has delivered in spades. They have provided great in-ring work, great storytelling, and a reason to hope.
It is no secret that Triple H is the big force behind NXT and the developmental system. The performance center and NXT have been his babies and he is very proud of what they have accomplished thus far. What amazes me is that Triple H, the hated villain of the internet wrestling community, is the one to basically create a "super indy." He has collated a talent roster of some of the biggest names on the independent scene since the rebirth of NXT. Some of them have already made the jump to the main roster and have created a bigger name for themselves. NXT also used these indy darlings to help shape other talents and have created one hell of a variety act.
Look at who NXT has already put through the system on the main roster. Seth Rollins (current WWE World Heavyweight Champion), Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Neville, Big E, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, Xavier Woods, Paige, Emma, The Usos, Kalisto, The Ascension, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Naomi have all debuted since the inception of the NXT that was born out of FCW back in 2012. Not all of those names are impressive, I realize. But think of how much of the roster comes from this breeding ground. Also, think of the fact that the current WWE champion Seth Rollins has been in the main event scene for quite some time.
None of that, however, is what has saved my fandom. What has saved me is the current crop of NXT stars and the movement that has been happening over the last year. Watching the growth of guys like Sami Zayn and Neville and the arrivals of guys like Balor, Owens and Itami has been some of the most compelling TV I could have asked for. More importantly, this product had been getting significantly more praise than the main roster's product. This product has provided hope of a very bright future. They are even running house shows in major cities!!! Triple H should be proud of what he has helped create and where it can keep going. This all has kept me interested, but something happened tonight that caused me to write this blog...
Tonight on RAW, Kevin Owens debuted as NXT Champion and laid out John Cena. Kevin Owens stood over John Cena and stepped defiantly on his U.S. Championship. Within 30 minutes it is announced that I am getting Owens-Cena at Elimination Chamber. This... This chain of events that I could not have seen coming... this night has awoken an old feeling that I feared would not surface again. My passion has returned...
During this time of bad Authority angles, bad Divas storylines, and lack of an interesting mid-card, there was only one thing that held any level of my attention. That one thing was NXT. NXT is based out of my hometown Orlando, Florida. It provided an alternative to what the main shows were offering. When I was unhappy with the Authority vs. Daniel Bryan/Cena/Reigns/Orton or watching Dolph Ziggler get another rug pulled out from under him, I had the Zayn, Neville, Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor, and Kevin Owens. NXT provided a haven of an old school, once a week, one hour television show. This show has never been perfect, but it has been focused. Every week led to a 2 hour live extravaganza on the WWE Network. Every single live special has delivered in spades. They have provided great in-ring work, great storytelling, and a reason to hope.
It is no secret that Triple H is the big force behind NXT and the developmental system. The performance center and NXT have been his babies and he is very proud of what they have accomplished thus far. What amazes me is that Triple H, the hated villain of the internet wrestling community, is the one to basically create a "super indy." He has collated a talent roster of some of the biggest names on the independent scene since the rebirth of NXT. Some of them have already made the jump to the main roster and have created a bigger name for themselves. NXT also used these indy darlings to help shape other talents and have created one hell of a variety act.
Look at who NXT has already put through the system on the main roster. Seth Rollins (current WWE World Heavyweight Champion), Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Neville, Big E, Bo Dallas, Adam Rose, Xavier Woods, Paige, Emma, The Usos, Kalisto, The Ascension, Luke Harper, Erick Rowan, and Naomi have all debuted since the inception of the NXT that was born out of FCW back in 2012. Not all of those names are impressive, I realize. But think of how much of the roster comes from this breeding ground. Also, think of the fact that the current WWE champion Seth Rollins has been in the main event scene for quite some time.
None of that, however, is what has saved my fandom. What has saved me is the current crop of NXT stars and the movement that has been happening over the last year. Watching the growth of guys like Sami Zayn and Neville and the arrivals of guys like Balor, Owens and Itami has been some of the most compelling TV I could have asked for. More importantly, this product had been getting significantly more praise than the main roster's product. This product has provided hope of a very bright future. They are even running house shows in major cities!!! Triple H should be proud of what he has helped create and where it can keep going. This all has kept me interested, but something happened tonight that caused me to write this blog...
Tonight on RAW, Kevin Owens debuted as NXT Champion and laid out John Cena. Kevin Owens stood over John Cena and stepped defiantly on his U.S. Championship. Within 30 minutes it is announced that I am getting Owens-Cena at Elimination Chamber. This... This chain of events that I could not have seen coming... this night has awoken an old feeling that I feared would not surface again. My passion has returned...
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