Changing the tone, old favorites - 5 changes Triple H should implement in NXT 2.0
This time last year, the black-and-gold brand was heading towards a rebrand as NXT 2.0. The focus was initially meant to blend independent wrestlers with other athletes.
The rebrand pivoted to shaping talented young athletes into future stars. There was less focus on independent wrestling performers than on the original black-and-gold brand.
While the refocused version has produced stars for the future (Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Tiffany Stratton, Nikkita Lyons), it hasn't felt as successful as its previous iteration.
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Before the rebrand, TakeOver events often had better quality matches than main-roster premium live events. Relying on experienced veterans made the product better and easier to digest.
Once NXT returned to being a true developmental brand last year, it meant seeing a lot of stars learn on the job. The previous version was originally pre-taped and not on TV, so mistakes were edited. That changed a few years ago, but the quality was still maintained.
The 2.0 version, however, has a primetime slot, and mistakes are easily seen. Now that Triple H has gained control over creative in WWE, there are things in NXT 2.0 that he can fix. Here are five changes he should implement:
#5 Tweak Carmelo Hayes' character
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Carmelo Hayes is a future star. He's one of the best in-ring performers in NXT and has been heavily featured since winning the Breakout Tournament. He was paired with Trick Williams, possibly to help the latter ease into things.
Since winning the North American Championship, Hayes hasn't always been booked as a strong champion. Sure, the announcers might claim that he is, but practically every one of his title wins/defenses has come with interference.
Williams is Melo's friend and ally, but he interjects himself into every match. He interfered thrice when Hayes recently retained the title against Giovanni Vinci. For Hayes to be taken seriously as a guy who can carry the brand, he needs clean wins and less help from Williams.
#4 Shift to a new venue or go back to an old one
This change may or may not be doable. WWE's partnership with Full Sail University ended in 2020. The pandemic forced both to readjust as students helped with the production of NXT.
Due to its smaller size, the Full Sail venue gave off the feel of an independent show. Despite that, things still felt like a big deal due to the presentation. It had an actual entrance stage/ramp, and the sets were spread apart better than the Capitol Wrestling Center.
At the CWC, NXT 2.0 seems to take place inside a high-school gymnasium. It gives off the vibe of an amateur sporting event rather than a pro wrestling show. The original brand still came off as a legit wrestling program, even with a smaller arena.
The CWC also has bleachers, some fan seats, and a random plexiglass pulpit where stars magically appear. Triple H should reimagine the setup to make the brand feel special again. Making the show seem like a big deal despite the smaller setting would make the brand feel legitimate.
#3 Bring back free agent signings to the NXT crowd
One of the most anticipated parts of the previous TakeOvers was seeing which new free agent would show up in the audience. The likes of Asuka, Riddle, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Roode, and many others made their first appearances in the crowd at TakeOvers.
Since WWE has released a lot of performers over the last few years, those appearances have vanished. The company stopped signing free agents, making the unpredictability and anticipation disappear. It also made the rebrand more predictable.
If the recruiting process once again includes independent stars, this tactic should be reinstated. It will go a long way to making NXT feel special again with big names showing up in the crowd.
#2 Bring back Poppy and the brand's rock/metal vibe
One of the features that made the original NXT so successful was the atmosphere around the show. It featured a lot of independent stars as well as some newer ones. Since it wasn't a huge brand, it felt special.
To promote the brand, rock and metal acts like Code Orange, Poppy, and Corey Taylor performed live and sang themes. Taylor even sang the "We Are Not Your Kind" theme. Since the genre wasn't as prevalent in the mainstream as rap, hip hop, and pop, it added to the show's tone. It made things grittier and separate from mainstream WWE.
Once 2.0 came around, the brand discarded that aspect. The new theme is a hip-hop song performed by Ollie Jay. Poppy was synonymous with the brand for a brief time due to her connection to Triple H and Io Shirai. To regain some of the original luster of NXT, The Game should adopt more rock/indie aspects that made the original version of the brand so successful.
#1 Cut down the number of cartoony characters
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The main operating tactic used in NXT 2.0 was the overreliance on every star having a character. This harkened back to the mid-1990s when every wrestler seemed to have an occupation (plumber, garbageman) unless they were top stars.
Wendy Choo emerged as a sleepy performer who would take naps during a match. She is talented in the ring, but the character has a low ceiling. She had a better chance of success as Mei Ying.
Duke Hudson started as a poker dynamo with his own poker room. He lost his first big game and feud to Cameron Grimes. At times, Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen seem more like actors in a teen soap opera, similar to the InDex saga.
WWE is better when the characters are extensions of the performer, not cartoony caricatures. By grounding things back in reality with a slight tweak, NXT 2.0 might approach the success of the original brand.