CHICAGO — Wrestling is like most forms of entertainment: It's a way for people to not think about what is going on in life and be taken on a journey for a few hours.
NXT is the prime of that example in today's WWE.
As WWE's developmental "brand," NXT is designed to give neophyte wrestlers or experienced talent from around the world the opportunity to — literally and figuratively — learn the WWE ropes.
The general consensus among wrestling fans is that the NXT TakeOver shows have been better than the WWE's main roster pay-per-view counterparts since their inception in 2014.
Saturday's NXT TakeOver: Chicago card wasn't the best on paper, and there was little to really get hyped for. But as they proven time and time again, TakeOver was a show to remember and solidified why NXT is better than the WWE main roster shows.
Too often on "Raw" and "SmackDown", storylines are often not given enough time to have a conclusion. Oftentimes matches aren't allowed to build to get the fans excited to give them a reason to get emotionally invested.
Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne for WWE United Kingdom Championship, and the NXT Tag Team Championship ladder match between DIY and Authors of Pain are prime examples of this. Both matches were given the time to tell a story and build. Both delivered. The Allstate Arena felt the magic and was shaking, as fans were constantly on their feet in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
That should be the goal of WWE's main roster and shows. You shouldn't be able to predict what happens next. Too often on the main roster shows, fans can sit there and guess results and angles. It isn't fun, and part of the reason ratings are down for both shows is due to its predictability.
There's enough talent and TV time on "Raw" and "SmackDown" for stories to be told. When it's time to have the culminating match, the story should be allowed to finish in the ring where wrestlers are supposed to shine.
But the main roster seems to be micro-managed by WWE higher ups. Vince McMahon — believed to have a large hand in WWE talent — hasn't been able to build household names and main-eventers outside of John Cena and Roman Reigns.
It should be that way for all talent. Bate and Dunne were the second match at NXT TakeOver and come WWE Backlash on Sunday night, it will still be talked about.
Paul Levesque — better known as Triple H — runs NXT and understands this is the way all WWE wrestling should be run. He has an old-school mentality and understands that storytelling is how wrestling boomed in the '70s, '80s and '90s.
WWE has shunned that concept on the main roster. Fan interest is lower than it has been since the dark days of the mid-1990s when WWE — then WWF — was teetering on the edge of complete irrelevance. After most "Raw" and "SmackDown" shows, check social media and see how many fans want to bang their heads against the wall, questioning WWE creative's angles and decision-making. Social media can be the vocal minority, but tons of fans are dissatisfied with the WWE's current direction.
There's also some fans that bring up the critique that the reason NXT is better is due to the brands four shows over the course of the year, lending to more time to build stories and feuds. The main roster has a PPV event a month.
It's a valid point, and it's and easy fix. Cut down WWE's pay-per-view events between six and eight shows a year; Or if WWE is intent on keeping monthly shows, major feuds can finish at one of WWE's big four shows: Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, SummerSlam or Survivor Series. That's how it was done in years past and has worked.
Maybe the way NXT does things isn't the way to go, maybe it is. You never know unless you try.
If WWE isn't going to change and do it quickly, more fans are going to tune away from the company's two big shows and NXT will take over more than just Chicago or San Antonio. It'll be the entire WWE universe.
Steven Muehlhausen is an MMA and Boxing writer and contributor for Sporting News. You can find his podcast, "The Fight Club Chicago," and subscribe on iTunes. You can email him at [email protected] and can find him on Twitter @SMuehlhausenMMA.
