Opinion: NXT is everything Ring of Honor was supposed to be
Ever since WWE announced that they would be moving SmackDown Live to FOX in October, there were rumblings about the company trying to get NXT a TV deal as well. Over the past few months, NXT's move to Cable TV has been one of the hot button topics in the IWC.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter had reported a few weeks ago that NXT'S move to FS1 ( Fox Sports 1) was done deal. But, a few days ago, news started surfacing about NXT potentially moving to USA Network instead of FS1.
This is a great move because the station already has WWE Programming in the form RAW and SmackDown (till October) and adding NXT would seem like a logical move. This would mean that NXT would be going head-to-head with AEW on TNT on Wednesday nights.
Now, all this talk about NXT's move to Cable TV has got thinking us about a certain promotion based out of Maryland which should've or rather could've been in this position and that is Ring of Honor.
Just a cursory glance at the current NXT product would be enough to tell you that WWE's " Developmental" brand draws a lot of influence from what Ring of Honor used to almost a decade ago. The emphasis on in-ring storytelling and long-drawn matches has been a hallmark of ROH, something which NXT does to perfection.
Unlike WWE's main roster product, the Yellow and Black brand is primarily focussed on giving fans a high-quality in-ring product minus the theatrics that one would generally see on either RAW and SmackDown.
NXT's similarity to ROH doesn't just end there. Several of today's top WWE and NXT Superstar made a name for themselves in Ring of Honor. Names like Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Adam Cole, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cesaro just to name a few, became household names due to their time in ROH.
NXT's weekly TV show has that underground vibe that was associated with ROH for the longest of times. It's not like we are only who have noticed these similarities between ROH and NXT. Former ROH head booker, Jim Cornette, has spoken at length about how the current NXT product is eerily similar to what ROH was doing a decade ago.
So, where did ROH go wrong and NXT succeed? Well, if you ask us, it all comes to down to the will to take risks at the right now. We all know by now despite its humungous popularity, NXT hasn't been a huge spinner for WWE. Triple H's passion project has left a huge hole in WWE'S coffers. But, the company didn't cut any corners when it came to the overall feel and the presentation of what they put forth.
ROH, despite being owned by a giant corporation like Sinclair Broadcasting, never really looked beyond their niche audience. It wasn't until Cody and The Young Bucks successfully ran 'ALL IN' last September that the company even thought about running a 10,000+ Seater arena. ROH's lack of ambition has been the biggest deterrent in its way to becoming one of the premier pro-wrestling destinations in the world.
While ROH could still get a TV deal in place for their weekly show on a major TV station, it wouldn't be an FS1 or USA Network for sure. NXT is everything that ROH should've been had they not made terrible financial decisions and kept taking risks.
The current state of ROH, where it is finding it hard to fill 1000-3000 seater arenas, is a perfect example of how staying locked inside a bubble isn't always a good thing.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article belong to the writer and doesn't necessarily represent Sportskeeda's stand.