Booker T Details Changes He’d Make To NXT

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has discussed NXT’s reboot, revealing what changes he wants to see from WWE’s developmental system.

This week’s episode of NXT is the first of the brand’s new era. Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T argued that Performance Center talents would benefit from occasional visits to independent promotions.

Explaining that wrestlers need to experience different audiences when learning their craft, Booker T said:

“I’m just curious to see what the new NXT is gonna look like. You got a lot of talent down there. You got more talent than you can imagine. I always wondered, what are they gonna do with these guys? How are they actually gonna use these guys? And not just use them, but get them to a point where they can move up?

“Because at the end of the day man you’re trying to make some money. You’re trying to create some stars, you don’t want these guys to be in NXT forever. These guys need to be trained properly in order to get to the next level.

“My thing is this man, I love that NXT system but the one thing I would push for is, for instance, let some of those guys go to Reality of Wrestling. Let some of those guys go to some of these really good camps around the world. Send them there for a month, just so they can understand that territory wrestling is really about wrestling in front of different crowds as opposed to just being under that NXT system at the Capitol (Wrestling) Center.

“I don’t think it would hurt those guys at all. And the money that they’re spending, I don’t think it would be more than they’re spending already in trying to create better character development as well as wrestling skill working on the fly in front of a crowd.”

NXT’s relaunch comes after WWE President Nick Khan confirmed that the company would be focusing on recruiting younger athletes, opposed to independent stars.

Stating that he believes older, experienced in-ring competitors won’t help the brand grow, Booker T said:

“It’s just such a different era now. I just don’t think the NXT brand grows by having older veterans be a part of the company. I think it’s about the new guys coming up and getting out there, having a shine. What I do think is, and I don’t wanna throw any shade on any coaches or anything like that, I just think these guys need to see a lot of different variations of what coaching is.

“Of course they wanna make it different than what it is right now. What it is right now is an extension of RAW and SmackDown Live,” Booker said. “I said it from the beginning when NXT went national and went live, it’s gonna be hard for these guys to actually learn cause the learning curve now is on the job.

“Gearing down, changing that thing totally and making it a farm league – I don’t know how you’re going to do that with it still being on USA. That’s the part for me that I’m grasping with. How are you gonna make it smaller with it still being on USA? So I’m gonna sit back like everyone else and wait and see.”

Booker T recently announced a TV deal for his Reality of Wrestling promotion.

Transcription via Wrestling Inc. 

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