So, a funny thing happened in the Royal Rumble. NXT was expected to dominate with Shayna Baszler winning the Women’s Royal Rumble, but Bianca Belair was the one to shine with a record 8 eliminations. The men didn’t far so well. In fact, they looked weaker than their showing at Survivor Series, and the decision may have cost them when they need momentum the most. While there are many thoughts on this, the prevalent is did Vince McMahon leave NXT to fend for itself?
A little perspective
We’ve all heard of the Monday Night Wars, and with the birth of the AEW (ALL Elite Wrestling), the WWE finally had some competition, perhaps even it’s most significant since the Monday Night Wars with WCW.
But McMahon didn’t want any part of a war, much less to allow a fledgling promotion to get their footing and become a legitimate alternative.
Not the term alternative.
While much has been said about various people in AEW mentioning they were in competition or at war with the WWE in some way, the underlying feeling is they aren’t. Chris Jericho said before AEW Dynamite aired that the powers-that-be (Cody Rhodes, Nick and Matt Jackson, Tony Kahn, and Kenny Omega) initially said they didn’t want a war. Jericho informed them that by signing him, Vince McMahon was a going to start one.
And start one he did.
First, he did an Eric Bischoff by arranging to have the WWE’s developmental brand move from the WWE Network to the USA network on Wednesday nights from 8-10:08 (Another Bischoff move as the first quarter hour gives them the ratings from that quarter hour). The purpose was to split the viewers and end AEW before it could establish itself.
Given how for years McMahon’s been signing top stars of other promotions and burying them in the mid-card ranks, this makes sense. It’s good business. It protects his company while keeping any rivals at bay. He grows stronger, and they remain where they are.
But AEW didn’t go away. It didn’t fold and lose steam, and after exchanging ratings wins and losses with NXT, it’s established itself as a fun alternative to WWE, and it’s only getting better. AEW’s been renewed for three more years on TNT.
Joint solution
Early on, NXT was losing every week, so McMahon added them to Survivor Series (which they won) in the hope it’d boost their ratings. It did, and they closed out 2019 by splitting the ratings war and earning a tie (one win was Christmas day when AEW didn’t air).
But once the new year started, AEW continued to improve. Now, NXT is an awesome brand that, though it’s classified as a developmental brand, it’s considered superior to Raw and Smackdown by fans and critics.
NXT has some awesome matches every week, but it’s not colorful or glamorous enough for the random fan to want to watch. It’s held at Full Sail University on Orlando, Florida and is an intimate, intense arena that’s a throwback to the ‘70s and ‘80s of wrestling.
But that’s not what fans want anymore. We’ve been taught to want a big stage, fireworks, and spectacle with matches further down the line.
Unfortunately for NXT, it’s contracted to be in Full Sail until this March, and while I like the setting, it’s probably going to move to larger arenas, if rumors of Vince McMahon taking over if it continues failing is true.
Of course, had NXT had a better showing at the Royal Rumble and Shayna Baszler won the women’s match, it could’ve been enough to draw fans back to the show. Since they didn’t and the WWE was dominant against them, it has the feeling that McMahon left NXT to fend for itself until he can move it elsewhere.
Is this true? I doubt it, especially since McMahon is very territorial (kinda funny considering he killed the old territory system) and wouldn’t allow anyone to mess on his lawn. With that in mind, the idea of having to bail out NXT until it can be moved is probably a tiresome problem that may not be in anyone’s best interests going forward.
If anything, the Royal Rumble served to show that NXT is just a developmental brand and not worthy of being on the same stage as Raw or Smackdown.
Wonder how many fans agree with that?
