What I'm Liking About NXT 2.0

 A little over a month ago the WWE made some major changes to its NXT platform creating a younger fresher look in the rebranding process and introducing a bunch of new names to its roster. Everything from the set design, logo, and top faces saw a change, and weeks later I’m here to discuss what I honestly think of NXT 2.0. I'll admit that at first I wasn’t in favor of the WWE going down this road of switching things up on its developmental brand and it did take some time to get used to the new look and faces we see weekly but I’ve found myself really enjoying so much and believe they could now be onto something that differs massively to anything else the company is offering right now.

 

The Use of Factions

One thing the WWE has struggled with in recent years is the use of faction. Putting aside the likes of The Shield and The Wyatt Family, the company has failed to provide fans with interesting and entertaining factions that are booked well and useful. While in NXT the booking of Imperium and The Undisputed era made waves and showed fans the company can use factions creatively when they truly want to. The birth of NXT 2.0 has seen a rise in how groups are being used. Hit Row, El Legado del Fantasma, Toxic Attraction, and Dimond Mine have been dominating the roster providing entertaining storylines, needed character development, and potential for some amazing angles and matches. Factions are a brilliant way to introduce new names to the roster especially right now during the revamp of the brand. The tag and women’s division have seen new talent make their way to the scene and these factions have given the newbies something to work, aided them in character development and given them a spotlight they needed to truly make an impact. All these factions bring something so different to the table and already are making stars and interesting storylines. If only we saw factions used more and effectively over on the main roster.

 

A More Mature Target Audience

Something that has really grabbed my attention over the past few weeks has been the slight change in the target audience for NXT. While we haven’t gone back to the days of bra and panty matches and F-bombs (well kinda) are not being dropped, we are seeing a slight edge and a lean towards more “adult” based themes. With the suggestive language, condoms used in a segment, and comedic promos with a little more edge it's clear that the teen and the young adult audience is very much being targeted here and as someone who fits into the target audience, I have to say I am enjoying it. I do think some of what we see can be a little cringe-worthy and there is certainly work to be done by these differences are separating NXT from the main roster in a way it hasn’t truly done before. We also must consider the amount of young new faces who seem to be more relatable to the audience the WWE is clearly trying to target.

 

Toxic Attraction

I have to be honest and say Toxic attractions have been what I have enjoyed the most since the launch of NXT 2.0. The trio consisting of Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne has been dominating the NXT Women’s division the past month and I have to say I have really gotten behind these women. Ill admit that I haven’t always been the biggest fan of Mandy Rose but the time she has been given to actually compete alongside the character work she has been nailing the former Tough Enough competitor has shown to be a serious contender for the top spot of the women’s division. A little more experienced than some of the new faces within the division she is shining bright impressing during one-on-one action and providing character work keeping fans entertained and genuinely interested in the female talent. The trio will all be competing for gold next week during the special Halloween Havok addition of the show where I can honestly see them walking out with all the gold. Rose makes for a reliable champion sure to bring fun storylines and solid matches allowing her to grow in the ring more and show fans just how deep her skills run and how wide her move set is. As for Gigi and Jacy they give hope to the NXT Women’s tag division which appears to also show signs of improving with numbers on their side and growing. The two women are still very new to the world of NXT but have grabbed fan attention and for sure made an impact alongside Rose but also on their own in tag team competition and could really benefit from holding gold. An all-female faction making this kind of an impact is so rare and I’m absolutely loving what they are doing.

 

Varying Characters and New Faces

As I mentioned in the intro above, it did take a little bit of time to get used to so many new faces over in NXT. All of a sudden the WWE was throwing a lot of new names on our screens making the brand we all know and love feel very new and very different however, these young talents have seriously been making waves in recent weeks. Most of these guys and girls don’t come from an indie background, they're not well known in the industry and are true NXT homegrown talent and so far a bunch of them have truly been winning over the NXT universe. The likes of Tony D’Angelo, Von Wagner, Elektra Lopez, Bron Baker, and Carmelo Hayes have been making a serious impact since their arrival. Thrown into the spotlight we have seen these superstars given title opportunities, main event spots, stipulation matches, and for Hayes championship gold already. These fresh stars are taking the spotlight and representing a whole new era of NXT.

We also have a serious mixture of characters now, more variety than we even see over on RAW and smackdown. Tony D’Angelo, Lash Legend, Joe Gacy, and Andre Chase are amongst those adding so much depth in terms of characters on the roster keeping things fresh and different but most importantly entertaining.

 

I do believe that in terms of NXT 2.0 there is still room for improvement but the past month has been very promising to say the least. Change is always hard to deal with and the array of new faces have NXT feeling very different indeed! I would of course love to know what you guys think so feel free to leave a comment below or tweet me over at @TezangiVictoria.

 

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