WWE: NXT on USA needs to be built around Undisputed Era

As WWE prepares to bring its black and gold brand to USA Network, one thing is for certain: that NXT needs to be built around The Undisputed Era.

In a little more than a week’s time, NXT will be making the big move to USA Network for a live television premiere. The show will serve as WWE’s way to compete with All Elite Wrestling when AEW TV comes to TNT on the same day and time slot. However, lucky for WWE, for the first two weeks of NXT on USA, they will be AEW free for their first two Wednesday nights of primetime air time.

In the weeks leading to the big season premiere of sorts, critics and fans have been curious to know how WWE will decide to try to draw in viewers to their programming, especially for when AEW does make its own season premiere and the Wednesday Night Wars officially begin. If you ask me (and no one asked me at all, but I’ll put my two cents in anyway), WWE can win the Wednesday Night Wars in just two words: Undisputed Era.

All they have to do is build the show entirely around The Undisputed Era. In some ways, WWE have already done this on the Network for the past few episodes of NXT TV ever since first putting the NXT Championship on Adam Cole. However, it is most crucial that they truly pull the trigger on making this stable the primary faces of NXT when they move to USA Network. No, I’m not saying they need to turn babyface, but simply keep their schtick up as the coolest heels in the room.

After all, the routine worked in a different era for a different wrestling show with a similar heel group that everyone loved: the nWo.

At the height of the Monday Night Wars back in the 90s, WCW reigned supreme by beating WWE in the ratings for 83 weeks straight. The biggest key to their success was by pushing the nWo to the forefront of their television programming. Even as heels, everyone loved them. Crowds were littered with almost as many (if not more) nWo shirts as NJPW crowds feature Bullet Club shirts these days.

They were the cool heels who made wrestling cool. Undisputed Era could easily exude a similar coolness, and have done so for some time. In NXT’s indie-rific crowd, you’d be hard pressed to find a fan who can bring themselves to boo Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly or Roderick Strong. Or worse, bring themselves not to chant along to “Adam Cole, Bay Bay!” It’s impossible! That understated love found among Full Sail and TakeOver crowds has the potential to translate further towards mainstream audiences, much like the nWo did in becoming a stable of pop culture.

Of course, like most things in life, the nWo ran its course and eventually felt overdone, but early on, nWo were the hottest things since sliced bread. WWE can do the same for Undisputed Era and in doing so should be able to produce strong ratings, even when AEW starts knocking on their doorstep.

Even better, it can lead to some compelling television if WWE can craft a babyface who is just as lovable and interesting as The Undisputed Era to challenge them. Again, WCW did just that with the Sting vs. nWo storyline. Again, that feud in itself was a reason why the ratings for Nitro remained as strong as they did for so long. If NXT can get someone like, say, Johnny Gargano for example, or push a totally new Superstar to combat UE, then it’ll give audiences a reason to tune in every week.

But more than anything, all four members of The Undisputed Era have enough charisma that viewers (both old and new) can latch on to their characters and want to see them every Wednesday night on USA Network. They would be primed and perfect to be at the forefront of the NXT TV brand going forward.

As long as WWE don’t overdo the Undisputed Era and force it to run its course further than it needs to, they can find some major success.