On his Hall of Fame podcast, two time WWE Hall of Famer Booker T talked about how he thinks WWE should make NXT a developmental brand again instead of it trying to be the third brand along with Raw and SmackDown.
This comes after the new reported direction for NXT as Vince McMahon wants younger and taller wrestlers.
Booker T on NXT having so many wrestlers in its system: “You know, I was always one of those guys that just felt like there was a lot of talent in NXT that, I don’t know. I don’t know. I’m not saying they weren’t good workers or anything like that, but I just always wondered, ‘Man, why are there so many guys down there?’ So for me, I always thought the system, me personally, if it was my system — I’m not talking about WWE right now, guys. I’m talking about, if it was my system, guys would have a two year limit as far as if I thought they were going to produce or not. If I was going to sign them that way, if I was going to do something with them/ I would give them two years. But for me, when a guy walks into Reality of Wrestling, I know if I’m going to use him on the card within five minutes. As well as, I know if it’s someone I can say, ‘Man, OK, I can work with this guy. I might get something out of him over the next few months. Hey dude, come down to the gym, and let’s learn the system and then you know, let’s see if we can do something. But I’m not going to put that guy into the ring that first night because I know he’s not going to go out and give me what I want. I just know that.”
Booker T on not being interested in harboring a bunch of guys: “I don’t know man. If you hadn’t panned out in a couple — Let me tell you this here. It’s not going to be one guy in that system that’s been down there for six or seven years that’s going to make it to Smackdown or RAW, or to my main roster. That’s just not going to happen. I’m not going to just harbor a bunch of guys just to, I don’t know, just pay them. I don’t see the win game in that. Now Bronson Reed, Jake Atlas, Mercedez Martines — of course, she knows the game. She’s been around a long time. As far as her making the WWE, that’s icing on the cake for her. Is she going to be set as far as being able to make money in this business going forward? Of course. Does the WWE rub help her out a little bit as far as making that happen? I think so. But having a lot of talent just harbored in one spot doesn’t work out for me.”
On reading about the ‘Rise and Fall of NXT’ and the war with AEW: “I was reading an article today, the Rise and Fall of NXT. And they were talking about ‘the war is over,’ because the war was with NXT and AEW. Right now, AEW is pulling in much better numbers than NXT, so let’s just say, just for keepsake, the war is over, OK? Let’s just say that. I always felt NXT should’ve always have been a farm league for the stars in the WWE, SmackDown stars, WWE RAW because that’s where the money is. That’s where the endgame is. And to create something else, it’s just like creating another WCW. Something we’re gonna have to put in a whole lot of work in trying to make work.”
His thoughts on NXT: “And then you look at NXT and you look at the main roster, and it’s two totally different games. Then, when a guy comes from NXT to the main roster, it’s a totally different game. Look at Karrion Kross in NXT, you look at him on the main roster. So, you cannot sustain something like that when you’re really focusing on this over here. So for me, going back to being a farm league, I don’t know what they’re going to do with it, but for me, NXT being a farm league for the WWE I think is what it always should’ve been focused on. That’s just my opinion.”
