http://www.pyroandballyhoo.com/wrestling/bonus-podcast-nxt-takeover-r-evolution/
Russo had some interesting thoughts on the NXT PPV and he dedicated an entire podcast to it. The things that stood out to me most were:
The storytelling is an interesting point because Russo has never watched NXT and he understood everything almost completely. This just goes to show how effective the writing team is. The question of mainstream appeal also got my attention because I felt the same way before May. Niche audience, most of the call ups are failures, won't translate to casuals. It wasn't until I started watching the program weekly that I understood why NXT is so effective in captiviating audiences. It isn't JUST the indy wrasslin or hype smark crowd, it's the excellent booking, storyline creation, and the simple act of making people care.
RAW does not do this because of Vince and his idiotic lackeys being in charge, but if they are phased out and the NXT team is in control of their own products, then yes, these wrestlers can and will have mainstream appeal. They're all critically mishandled which makes it seem like their act only works in front of small audiences. Some like Emma were doomed from the start, but others like Big E and Xavier Woods could have been salvaged. Successful 5 count gimmick? Take it away and make him a bland heel. Brilliant mic worker with a PHD? Turn him into a dancing clown :StephenA
Russo had some interesting thoughts on the NXT PPV and he dedicated an entire podcast to it. The things that stood out to me most were:
- He loved the wrestling
- He loved the storytelling
- Sasha Banks plays her character like a 20 year veteran
- Will this translate to the mainstream audience?
The storytelling is an interesting point because Russo has never watched NXT and he understood everything almost completely. This just goes to show how effective the writing team is. The question of mainstream appeal also got my attention because I felt the same way before May. Niche audience, most of the call ups are failures, won't translate to casuals. It wasn't until I started watching the program weekly that I understood why NXT is so effective in captiviating audiences. It isn't JUST the indy wrasslin or hype smark crowd, it's the excellent booking, storyline creation, and the simple act of making people care.
RAW does not do this because of Vince and his idiotic lackeys being in charge, but if they are phased out and the NXT team is in control of their own products, then yes, these wrestlers can and will have mainstream appeal. They're all critically mishandled which makes it seem like their act only works in front of small audiences. Some like Emma were doomed from the start, but others like Big E and Xavier Woods could have been salvaged. Successful 5 count gimmick? Take it away and make him a bland heel. Brilliant mic worker with a PHD? Turn him into a dancing clown :StephenA