5 Things NXT did better than RAW and SmackDown this year

With the close of another calendar year, wrestling fans will once again pause to reflect on the 12 months now drawing to a close.

2019 has, unquestionably, been a fine year for wrestling fans – from WWE’s revamping of Raw and SmackDown to the launch of AEW and more beyond, there has been, as ever, plenty of action to soak up.

One prominent highlight, however, has been the continued success of WWE’s NXT programme – their expanding, diverse and talented roster once again knocking it out of the park with some stellar performances.

NXT and AEW have been going head to head for weeks now, and it’s a Wednesday night battle that is sure to entertain fans for a while longer yet.

For many, NXT is WWE’s strongest export, even outperforming the red and blue brands. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at 5 things NXT did better than Raw and Smackdown in 2019.

#1 Acknowledge the competition

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve never seen Triple H or any of the top NXT in-ring talent stand and cut a promo on AEW and how NXT was about to wage war on the newly formed competition.

It’s my firm belief, though, that NXT has more than acknowledged the fact that AEW is here to stay, and they upped their game accordingly – which is saying something considering it was strong enough as it was.

While they know that they need to mostly focus on their product rather than chasing AEW, it is important to be aware of what is going on across the street, so to speak. At times the two shows have matched each other move for move – for instance, advertising in advance the airing of blockbuster matches at the start of a broadcast.

Barring one mention by The Miz on Smackdown earlier this year, there has been almost zero mention of AEW on either Raw or Smackdown. Does there need to be? Possibly, possibly not, but there is an impression that there’s something a little elitist (pardon the pun) about WWE’s ‘bigger’ two programmes, almost as though competition is beneath them.

NXT knows full well there’s a fight on, and they love it.