TheChairshot.com asks the question…What If? Rey Ca$h discusses what if the NXT never changed from Black and Gold!

In my 30 years of wrestling, there has been nothing I’ve enjoyed more than the original wrestling version NXT. I can still remember so fondly hearing those opening cords of that Coheed and Cambria song, back when you could only watch the show on Hulu. These were the early days of WWE’s new Performance Center, and seemingly every major Independent star was being signed and showing up every other week.

Whether it was Adrian Neville or Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn or Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe or Shinsuke Nakamura…this period of NXT means more to me than any other time watching wrestling in my life. Eventually, the show would get so good and so popular that it would become more than a developmental system – it became a de facto third WWE brand! Eventually becoming known as Black and Gold based off of their color scheme, NXT would become the darling of not only the WWE, but all of wrestling.

With Triple H at the helm, running the program and booking the show, there was a care shown to the roster and the show that became undeniable. Eventually, NXT would get so big that it would get booked in major arenas alongside WWE PLEs, get showcased at Survivor Series 2019 as an official third brand, and would get a prime time TV slot. And this is where the story would start to change.

With the creation of All Elite Wrestling, this became the new alternative among wrestling fans, and WWE noticed this immediately, starting a Wednesday Night War by moving the show from the WWE Network online to cable to combat AEW. The fight was never a fair one – NXT, although popular and loaded with top level stars, was always intended to be the developmental show – and NXT lost pretty handily. This loss would not only force NXT to have their day and timeslot moved, but it caused the powers that be to rethink the process.

As previously noted, NXT was always supposed to be a developmental show. Its sole purpose was to give newly trained rookies, Indy veterans, and foreign talent a chance to train, learn, and understand the WWE system. Unfortunately, they became a victim of their own success as they started focusing on established talent more so than the newer crop of stars. Concurrently, the stars that were being called up from NXT to the main roster weren’t having the success that the original crop of stars had. There was a stark disconnect in how NXT stars, booked and coached by Triple H, were used and viewed on the main roster by not only Vince McMahon but the fans as well.

A change needed to be made. Enter NXT 2.0. With Triple H taking time away due to a medical emergency and Shawn Michaels taking control of the brand, the decision was made to rebuild NXT back to what its original purpose was. No more focusing on Indy legends and known entities. The show was now built around relatively unknown, homegrown talent. And it took a while for the new vision to gain traction, but 5 years later, the success rate has been striking.

You can’t watch the current version of WWE (and even AEW) and not see someone who came up from the new NXT 2.0 era. But even with the success, I can’t help but wonder. What if NXT never pivoted from Black and Gold and stayed the course?

The first thing that would absolutely have happened is that there wouldn’t have been a mass exodus of talent, be it because of releases or people not resigning. Adam Cole and the Undisputed ERA come directly to mind. For Cole specifically, there was a fear of him going to the main roster because of concerns that Vince would change him completely and wouldn’t know how to use him correctly. If Black and Gold stays, I believe that it stays on its third brand trajectory.

Another possibility and probably the biggest change is that the new crop of wrestlers that have come from 2.0 wouldn’t be here. With the focus still on established stars, there wouldn’t be the time, care, and focus for these stars. So that means people like Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Trick Williams, Tiffany Stratton, and Roxanne Perez would likely not have made it.

There’s also the discussion of what would happen with Triple H. He had to step away from the brand due to his medical issue, opening the way for Shawn Michaels to take over, but would Triple H stay the course? This year or so time frame also coincided with Vince McMahon having to step away from WWE. Triple H was the obvious person to take over the creative duties for the main roster, but if NXT was the same as it had always been, would he be so willing to give it up? Would he make it a fully fledged 3rd brand? As we’ve seen with the addition of Evolve, there were always plans for another developmental show at a lower level than NXT, so does Shawn take that over?

The real gem in this entire story and situation is the WWE Performance Center. Whether it was going to be connected to NXT or Evolve, it’s the most important asset the WWE has. So much so that the WWE films NXT from there now. Will the way that they recruited athletes to the PC have changed if Black and Gold stayed? I think the answer is an unquestionable yes. Black and Gold looked for something drastically different than 2.0, and they were competing with companies like AEW and TNA for talent, instead of searching for college athletes.

It’s near impossible to think of the WWE without what NXT has done for the company. Over 70% of the current main roster started in NXT. Yes, that includes the BIGGEST stars in the company – Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Gunther, Bayley, and so many more. So imagine how different that list looks if NXT is changed in any way. Now think about this year’s WrestleMania. If NXT 2.0 never happens, there’s a very good chance that you never have Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, Lash Legend, Stephanie Vaquer, and many more who weren’t on the show but should’ve been (Tiffany Straton and Giulia come immediately to mind).

Luckily, this isn’t something we’ll ever have to find out. But as much as I may love the old NXT, the new NXT has been one of the best things to happen to the WWE. Without it, there’s no telling how different things could be.

FIN

TheChairshot.com asks the question…What If? Chris King discusses what if Brock Lesnar never left the WWE in 2004!

In the spirit of “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar possibly heading into retirement after his loss to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42, I felt it was necessary to give “The Beast” his flowers after his spectacular career. Lesnar has done it all in the business: he is a ten-time WWE Champion, two-time Royal Rumble winner, former King of the Ring, ended The Streak, and is a former UFC Champion. He’s had such an incredible career through sports entertainment, but what if he never left the WWE in 2004?

 In 2004, Lesnar left the WWE to go play professional football in the NFL. At WrestleMania XX, “The Beast Incarnate” faced off against Bill Goldberg in what was considered a dream match for the ages. What actually happened was extremely underwhelming, as both superstars were rumored to leave the company and the entire crowd would shit all over their match. Lesnar had one of the most impressive WWE careers in company history. He won the KOTR tournament and became the youngest WWE Champion within one year. Just a few months prior to his match with Goldberg, Lesnar was the WWE Champion, defeating the likes of Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Big Show, and a plethora of other superstars.

Goldberg cost “The Beast” his title at No Way Out, allowing Eddie Guerrero to win his first and only WWE Championship before his tragic death. Lesnar and Goldberg were on a collision course for months, despite being on different brands. Lesnar had dominated the SmackDown roster, while his rival was on the Raw roster. With the departure of Lesnar on the horizon, WWE was forced to make John Cena their poster boy for the company. What if Lesnar never left the company in 2004? He would have defeated Goldberg in a decent powerhouse match.

Instead of “The Beast” remaining on SmackDown after Mania, I would have loved to see him move over to Monday Night Raw and mix it up with some fresh opponents. Lesnar could have been placed into a big-time feud with former OVW Wrestling superstar Randy Orton. Both superstars could fight over becoming number one contender to Triple H’s World Heavyweight Championship. Instead of Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton for the world heavyweight championship, we could have gotten HHH vs. Lesnar for the title. After defeating HHH at SummerSlam to win the world championship, Lesnar would reign supreme over Raw for the months to come.

At WrestleMania 21, we would see Lesnar vs. Batista in a huge dream match for the World Championship. Batista would still win the title at Mania and begin his lengthy title reign, including a move over to SmackDown. In the years following this, Lesnar would begin a long rivalry with the WWE Champion John Cena, who was drafted on the Raw after Mania. After both superstars would engage in a series of great matches, Cena would keep his title and move on to other superstars. It wouldn’t be until WrestleMania 23, where Lesnar and Cena would renew their rivalry, with “The Beast” winning the WWE Championship.

For the next several years, Lesnar would become a constant top superstar in the WWE, dominating talent and truly shocking the world. I don’t believe that if “The Beast” stayed with the WWE, he would have ended The Undertaker’s undefeated Streak at WrestleMania. Nor do I think it should have happened in reality. That achievement should have gone to a young and upcoming superstar, like Roman Reigns or Bray Wyatt. If Lesnar stayed, I think he would be the one to break Ric Flair’s record with seventeen world title wins. I do think, though, that he would have grown tired with the rough travel schedule and most likely would have retired a lot sooner.

Lesnar is a beast, and whether you love him or hate him, he deserves our respect for all of his accomplishments. I don’t feel like we’ve seen the last of “The Beast Incarnate,” as Gunther still has a favor owed to him. I imagine ‘The Career Killer’ wants to take Lesnar out at SummerSlam in his hometown. Time will tell if and when we see “The Beast” inside of the squared circle again.