WWE Bold Predictions: Roman Reigns Causing Friction in The Shield?

NXT Outperforms Everyone’s Wildest Expectations

Last week’s episode of NXT featured possibly one of the best matches of the year in Johnny Gargano vs. Kassius Ohno. That gives the brand a lot to live up to as it airs on prime time television for the first time. Simple observation of how crowds of main roster shows react to NXT superstars tells you that even after all this time, Triple H’s baby is still a well-kept secret in the WWE Universe.

But given the chance to be showcased like this is a huge opportunity. Even though the episode is pre-taped and not live, there’s bound to be plenty of action to satisfy wrestling fans. New NXT Champion Andrade Almas will be in action, as will Adam Cole, Aleister Black, NXT Women’s Champion Ember Moon, and Roderick Strong.

If that’s not a stacked lineup, I don’t know what to tell you. It’s really a shame that Gargano vs. Ohno wasn’t scheduled for this week, as it would really put a light on what’s going on in NXT. But there’s some precedent for NXT superstars getting a shot like this, just not much of one.

Way back in 2014, just before NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4 Way, the participants in the scheduled main event took part in a tag team match on Raw. Sami Zayn and (Adrian) Neville defeated Tyler Breeze and Tyson Kidd, in the WWE Universe’s first glimpse of three of those four superstars. And the match was well received, as was the TakeOver match days later.

Why wouldn’t NXT be able to win over a large chunk of the WWE Universe this time around? All they need is eyes on the product, and the superstars will take care of the rest. As long as the show is heavily promoted on Raw and SmackDown Live there should be a decent sized audience, and who knows? Maybe NXT is a big part of the next WWE television contract.