WWE NXT
Season 6 e.tv (*194) 13:30 Sport
WWE NXT (2010-current) is more than just a reality talent search for the World Wrestling Federation. It’s a development arena where CEO Vince McMahon and his talent advisors can keep an eye on up-and-coming stars who could be the next Triple H, Undertaker or John Cena. But there’s a lot you don’t know about the NXT brand…
It’s been around since 2007 but 1
was called Florida Championship Wrestling until 2010, which was when Vince turned it into a reality TV show to help find new in-ring talent.
NXT changed format in 2012 when 2
the WWE did away with its Florida Championship Wrestling brand. Triple H turned it into a development platform and says that “80 percent of the WWE’s current roster was drafted from NXT”.
The brand’s headquarters are at 3
the Full Sail University in Florida – 22km from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
SA-born wrestler Justin Gabriel 4
was part of season 1’s rookies trying out for a WWE contract, which he got despite being eliminated before the final episode. He quit the WWE in 2015, citing “creative differences”.
If you want to watch old episodes, 5
seasons 1-5 of NXT have been remastered and put online on the WWE Network, as well as seasons 6-11.
Audience tickets cost $10 (R130) 6 and are free to Full Sail students. NXT isn’t just a testing ground for 7
wrestlers – rumour is that Vince put his son-in-law Triple H in charge to see if he’s ready to run the WWE as a whole when the 71-year-old retires. “It [NXT] is a work in progress of where it [the WWE] can go and what it can be,” says Triple H. NB! See more on p39.