If you look on at the tabs on this site, you'll see one marked NXT. Conspicuous by its presence, it has largely been dormant up there. Obviously, that is all my fault.
You see, I used to watch the old ECW program on SciFi. I enjoyed watching up and coming talents put on solid wrestling matches and I especially liked when a personal favorite, Christian, wrestled on the brand. It was great at the time, and then it was gone.
The WWE and SciFi weren't very excited about ECW's Impact-like ratings and asked for a change. They got it in the form of NXT, an innovative concept featuring developmental wrestlers being mentored and judged by current WWE superstars. At first, it was quite the work in progress.
It seemed that the original concept was a lack of one, as the show changed course every week. Still, that first season delivered a bonafide star in Wade Barrett and a technical wizard in Daniel Bryan. Both initially debuted on Raw in June as part of the brutal attack on the show by all the NXT Season 1 rookies. That group as you know eventually became known as the Nexus, albeit without Bryan.
A year since the show's inception, 4 of those original 8 still appear on Raw or Smackdown, though it's entirely possible that David Otunga will be Randy Orton's next victim. Still, the success rate from that season was pretty good.
The next season was not as successful. Season 2's winner, Kaval, already asked for and was granted his release from WWE, citing travel concerns and lack of push as his reasoning. The three other rookies to appear on Raw or Smackdown since the conclusion of that season are, as of this writing, currently off of TV already. Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris, both members of Nexus, were kicked in the head by Randy Orton and are selling those injuries. Alex Riley lost a cage match to John Cena on Monday and was fired. Obviousy, there was quite a dropoff from season 1 to season 2.
Still, season 3 debuted as an all female show, but by the end of the season, the show was off the air, in America at least. Apparently, this is a show that airs regularly in other countries, but with Smackdown moving to SciFi, NXT lost its TV deal in America. This left us American fans related to watching the show via streaming from WWE.com. Admittedly, I tried doing that but had lost so much interest in the show that I just stopped over time.
At first, I'd catch the show on youtube a day later so that I was always up on the information, but at some point, it just stopped mattering. Kaitlyn won season 3........and was used all of once on television since. The rest of the cast has been heard from even less than Kaitlyn. With that kind of failure, you'd think the show would be cancelled. You'd think wrong.
Another 6 person cast was announced for season 4, and none of that cast sounded that exciting. Maybe it makes me a bad person or a bad wrestling fan, but I watched none of season 4, though I did read the results online.
It seems the season was done to elevate Johnny Curtis, an athletic specimen who has spent 4 years in developmental. While his personality is supposedly lacking, his athleticism may help get him noticed on the main roster. His prize for winning is a tag title shot with his pro, R-Truth. I sincerely hope that shot doesn't happen at Wrestlemania.
This season ended Tuesday, and we can finally put the nail in the coffin for NXT given that Tough Enough is coming back, right? WRONG.
Apparently, there will be a season 5 of NXT which starts next week! Rumor is that it will be a father/son season with pairs such as Wes/Jerry Brisco, Richie/Ricky Steamboat, and others being rumored participants. With this starpower, it's a shame that the show will still air on wwe.com in america where they will have very limited viewership.
Perhaps I could get into the show if it was on tv, but streaming it seems tough. With that said, I've decided to try and get back on the horse. Yes, I vow to catch the first episode next Tuesday and give it another chance. Admittedly, I'm doing it because I'm a mark for some of these family connections, but I'm also hoping that trying something different will help revitalize this show. I'd still like to see it on TV, but it seems that is out of the question.
If you want to see green wrestlers on TV, you'll have to watch Tough Enough. That starts the night after Wrestlemania. Somehow though, this NXT concept is like the fly you keep swatting but just won't die. It's taken a lot of hits, but it just keeps coming. I have to wonder though, if it continues to fail in producing main roster talent, is it worth it? Quite frankly, I'd have to say no.
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