Wade Barrett sees even more growth for NXT in the near future.
Wade Barrett got his start on NXT but it was a completely different form of NXT than the current one. NXT is its own brand and exists entirely to help a new crop of WWE Superstars adjust to the WWE system.
During a recent interview with AceOdds, Barret was asked about what he sees for the near future of NXT. He says he sees more growth in its future and applauded NXT for allowing young stars the freedom to try new things and be themselves.
"Yeah, I think NXT is turning into its own beast. The show is so significantly different from Raw and SmackDown, you really can't compare the two," he said. "There's a little bit of, we've got young, less experienced talent on there, the competitors, and a lot of times you don't really know what you're going to get. Some are going to make mistakes and that in itself can be quite entertaining. But I think NXT, takes the hand break off so to speak and they allow a lot of the young talent to go out there just be you. Try things. It may work, you may fall flat on your face but you can get some real moments of magic when people are trying that. You can get real industry-changing talent to come through when they don't have these constraints put on them. That's one of the most exciting things about NXT for me. They do try different match types for example.
"They try to structure their shows differently," he added. "I think a few years ago they had a real focus on everything being 100 miles an hour, not just in the ring, but the segments now quickly move along. They were looking at that kind of TikTok generation of fans who don't have the longest attention span. So, if you give them a long segment, perhaps they're going to get bored and start looking at their phone and moving on. No, you've got to keep it moving like this. I was really interested in the way they were trying that and we've absorbed some of that into Raw and SmackDown."
Barrett concluded his comments by saying that he thinks NXT has been a great job of creating its own niche. He also says that he believes the risks taken on NXT allow for new ideas to trickle down to the main roster programs.
"I think they've done a hell of a job in NXT in creating their own culture and giving themselves their own little niche in our world. It's always a fascinating show when I watch it. I learned a lot from them and the creative minds down there obviously helmed by Shawn Michaels and Matt Bloom. I really like the way they are prepared to take risks on that show. It's a very risky show and I think a lot of the time it pays off and gives us great ideas for the rest of the WWE machine."
Wade Barrett used to do color commentary on NXT alongside Vic Joseph. Booker T has said in the past that he would like to get Joseph back to the main roster. Read his comments here.
Thanks to the team over at AceOdds for sending the above quotes.
