One tag team legend doesn’t believe that HHH’s vision of NXT would’ve been dismantled if the brand had beaten AEW in the ratings.
There was a time when NXT was the alternative brand of WWE. While Raw and SmackDown generally stuck to the status quo, NXT was filled with established indie and international talent. The brand was also able to garner a passionate fanbase.
Once AEW came to life, the pressure was on HHH and his crew to hold the new kid on the block at bay. That didn’t happen as NXT got smoked in the head-to-head ratings war.
Bully Ray Says NXT Black & Gold Sticks Around With Ratings Wins
NXT
Ultimately, NXT was moved to Tuesday nights and rebranded. Now, WWE has put emphasis on developing talent to be ready for what the main roster officials want instead of being a competitive third brand.
Taking to Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his theory that the previous NXT regime would’ve stood in place if it had gotten better ratings than AEW Dynamite.
“I believe NXT would have still been around, the black and gold, would’ve still been around if it was to continue to win and that’s it. ‘It stopped winning, now we’re gonna strip it down, and now it’s going to become what I originally wanted it to become.’
“Last night seeing Bron [Breakker] and seeing [Grayson Waller] and the way they’re peppering in guys like AJ Styles to work with these NXT talents so they are accustomed to the Raw and SmackDown work [solidified the new NXT era].
“Not like a Keith Lee who comes in who’s a 300-pounder who wants to work like he’s a buck and a half. Vince will just look at it and go, ‘What the heck is going on?'”
PWInsider recently reported that NXT has fully moved into its next phase. Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano have now taken over the creative reigns so that the show runs similar to Raw and SmackDown.
WWE has been releasing many members of HHH’s NXT team. We recently saw the likes of William Regal, Samoa Joe, and Road Dogg being given their walking papers.
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