The Final Conquest: Why NXT May Be A Long-Term Negative For Pro-Wrestling

[RyanClingman]

I wrote an article yesterday about NXT and the effect that it may have on independent and international wrestling heading into the future. For whatever reason, it has become the most successful article (traffic wise) in the history of our site by a fairly large margin, and given that there has been some very constructive Twitter discussion on the topic today, I thought that I would make a thread.

 

Full Article.

 

 

[joeg]

Nice. I see WWE potentially doing serious damage to the top level indies the way they did to the territories in the 80s. I don't really see WWE doing serious damage to New Japan. If New Japan can survive what it went through during the 2000s, then it can survive any WWE talent raid. Ganjins come and go. Nakamura and Ibushi are replaceable. With wrestlers New Japan has away on excursion and the talent they currently have in the dojo (ie Tomoyuki Oka), New Japan will be just fine in the future.

[Dylan Waco]

This is my favorite wrestling piece of 2016 so far. Everyone should read it.

[supersonic]

http://www.cubedcirclewrestling.com/blog/feature/the-final-conquest-why-nxt-may-be-a-long-term/

A *TREMENDOUS* piece of caution as WWE is about to have its likely best of the year, in addition to its biggest show of the year on the same weekend.

[Matt D]

I think this is somewhat bleak. For one thing, I think we're seeing a level of acquisition right now that isn't going to sustain itself. There's only so much room on the roster and only so much of a chance for wrestlers to work in front of crowds in NXT, even with two tours. I foresee a stopgag. I think what's far more likely is that we start seeing more fluid relationships like Evolve seems to be currently. There are pros and cons to that. Also, not everyone is going to make it through the system. Hero and Callihan, hugely talented as they are, seem to be proof of that. And those who do make it through will get culled occasionally, not necessarily for reasons having to do with any value or worth. Look at PJ Black, for instance. They'll be dumped back onto the indies with more experience and name value. It's going to continue to be more circular.

 

Anyway, I think where this is heading is a far more fuedal system across the indies. It's a WWE world now and ring-kissing is going to become more and more of the norm.

[sek69]

The thing with NXT is no matter how successful it gets, it's still developmental. We've already seen the bloom off the rose to a degree since they have to actually pay guys to come in instead of just waving the carrot of future WWE exposure. I don't see them wanting to toss the money needed to lure the top level indy guys on a regular basis. You'll still see a few coming in, but I don't think we'll get the future dystopia some are predicting where everyone who gets any sort of buzz gets stashed away in NXT forever.

[RyanClingman]

 

http://www.cubedcirclewrestling.com/blog/feature/the-final-conquest-why-nxt-may-be-a-long-term/

A *TREMENDOUS* piece of caution as WWE is about to have its likely best of the year, in addition to its biggest show of the year on the same weekend.

 

 

Thanks for all of the sharing you have done, supersonic! Super appreciated!

[RyanClingman]

This is my favorite wrestling piece of 2016 so far. Everyone should read it.

 

Thanks Dylan!

 

The thing with NXT is no matter how successful it gets, it's still developmental. We've already seen the bloom off the rose to a degree since they have to actually pay guys to come in instead of just waving the carrot of future WWE exposure. I don't see them wanting to toss the money needed to lure the top level indy guys on a regular basis. You'll still see a few coming in, but I don't think we'll get the future dystopia some are predicting where everyone who gets any sort of buzz gets stashed away in NXT forever.

 

This is definitely a valid counter opinion.

 

I think this is somewhat bleak. For one thing, I think we're seeing a level of acquisition right now that isn't going to sustain itself. There's only so much room on the roster and only so much of a chance for wrestlers to work in front of crowds in NXT, even with two tours. I foresee a stopgag. I think what's far more likely is that we start seeing more fluid relationships like Evolve seems to be currently. There are pros and cons to that. Also, not everyone is going to make it through the system. Hero and Callihan, hugely talented as they are, seem to be proof of that. And those who do make it through will get culled occasionally, not necessarily for reasons having to do with any value or worth. Look at PJ Black, for instance. They'll be dumped back onto the indies with more experience and name value. It's going to continue to be more circular.

 

Anyway, I think where this is heading is a far more fuedal system across the indies. It's a WWE world now and ring-kissing is going to become more and more of the norm.

 

I totally agree with this. As you said, one positive is that guys like Hero, Callihan, Galloway, Sydal and Black are able to contribute to the indie scene in a major way after picking some of the intangibles up in NTX/WWE main roster.

[Matt D]

And despite my counter, I think it was a well crafted article and one that's well worth reading. It's just the start of the conversation, not the end of it, if that makes sense.