Pro wrestling, like any sport, is a copycat business. When something works at one company, another naturally tries to reproduce it.
It’s a great form of flattery, and there’s hard to find an original idea in wrestling over the last twenty or so years as most things are picked clean.
Some of the most innovative things tend to come from the Indie community as they’re trying to pull out all the stops to entertain the fans and catch the eye of anyone from the bigger companies.
Shawn Michaels is Willing to Take Ideas from Anywhere to Help NXT
It’s been reported many times that when many would sign with the WWE, they’d have to be shown the right way to do things. In short, the WWE way.
That would involve ring psychology, slowing things down, and focusing on more of a believable athletic endeavor.
But that doesn’t mean the WWE or others don’t “borrow” from the Indies or each other when they think they can use something.
Stealing ideas
Big E once said that he and others would watch other companies for what they could steal to use, and one of those is the Yurinagi Samoa Joe used in TNA (Impact Wrestling).
They liked the look of it, so Big E started using it. It’s the ultimate form of flattery as the originator’s creation is appreciated and being used in front of millions.
The practice of using what works will remain with the WWE as Shawn Michaels soke with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour about his goal for NXT.
Michaels stressed that NXT is focused on developing talent and that’s it, but they still steal any idea they think will benefit them while continuing to develop talent.
“Right now, it certainly is about development, but that is certainly not for the standpoint of forsaking real talent and real ability. You’re crazy if you don’t see people who are out there that are very valuable that you know can be valuable to the WWE. Even if it’s coming into NXT and maybe getting a feel for how life is in WWE and then quickly moving on. I know it sounds cliché and maybe not honest, but nothing really is off the table. If it’s a good idea, I’ll steal it from anybody.
“If there’s a really talented guy out there, and we think he can help this company, we’re crazy not to take it. We can still develop people at the same time. All of our younger talent is going to benefit from being in the ring with those guys, even if it’s just a handful of times. They’re gonna get such experience from that. I never want to take it off the table, not getting guys out there that can really contribute to Raw or Smackdown in the future.
“All of this is about feeding the machine. At the forefront, I’m more focused on developmental, on developing the young men and women that we have pass through here, getting them prepared for the main roster. In the process, if we’re able to build back this brand where we can get back in those arenas and start selling them out, that’s a bonus. I can’t say that’s the goal right now. To me, I’m focused on the development of these young men and women. The more people we get that have experience, and we can filter through our system, it’s only going to help.
The machine is a billion dollar company that’s been the symbol of professional wrestling for over twenty years, but it’s morphing into a more wrestling based company than entertainment under Triple H.
While they have some exceptional talent, there’s nothing wrong with developing more as contracts end and so on and they need to keep plugging away.
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