The Budding Rose

It’s easy to compare the regular NXT audience to the one which flocked to every ECW Arena in the nineties. Both groups have an above average understanding of wrestling and its associated tropes, are passionate about their respective promotions, and are inventive with the chants they direct at the wrestlers that perform for them. Both audiences also add a great deal to the shows of their respective companies. The importance of having a good atmosphere is something that can’t be overstated.

But for all the similarities there is one important difference. The NXT crowd doesn’t have the malicious streak the ECW regulars did.

Take, for example, the recent debut of Adam Rose. It’s not a secret that he is the artist formerly known as Leo Kruger. He’d only made his final appearance under the former name on the New Year’s Day episode of NXT. With such a significant character change taking place in such an obvious fashion in so short a space of time (the Rose character’s first appearance was on March 6) it would have been easy for the crowd to mock it with a chant. But they didn’t.

Had a wrestler changed their character in this short a timeframe in ECW they would almost certainly have been met with derisive chants. Heyman never booked such a rapid change to people already on his roster, but those who made the move from WCW or the WWF and adopted new ring names in the land of Extreme found themselves mocked. The obvious example is Justin Credible. When he first rocked up in ECW he was met with chants of “You’re still Aldo!” in reference to his previous stint as Aldo Montoya in the WWF.

It was only last year that Bray Wyatt found himself confronted with chants for Husky Harris during his debut segment on RAW. His new character has caught on to such an extent that Husky has for the most part been dispelled from our minds. But that the fans thought to chant it to begin with, when the Husky Harris name hadn’t been uttered on a WWE broadcast in well over two years, shows that wrestling fans still get a kick out of making character changes awkward.

The NXT gang seem a generally more positive bunch. And here I’m not simply talking about them choosing not to chant about Leo Kruger. They did more than that. They embraced Adam Rose.

One of the greatest acts in wrestling today

That’s exactly what the Rose character needed in order to work. Had has aisle partying, hip thrusts, and mid-match dancing been met with indifference it wouldn’t have recovered. He’s the sort of character who needed immediate acceptance in order to work. Characters of this type suffer from becoming overfamiliar (because there’s not a huge amount of progression they can make without drastic character alterations) and so need a strong start to create as much a fan base as possible.

The NXT crowd has been a big part of the character’s success, but it’s not been the only part. Adam Rose is a unique character within WWE. His large entourage of quirky characters helps to set him apart (and puts me in mind of seventies spy-fi shows, though I can’t really see why).  The same goes for his prancing entrance (which extends into matches) and his catchy music. At first I thought it was the sort of character that would only really work in front of the small, regular crowd that NXT provides. But I’ve since changed my mind and think that it could work on the main roster, if WWE reused the approach of showing his backstage parties and rotated peculiar characters in and out of the entourage.

Adam Rose is a fun character and one that works. Wrestling, and WWE, needs more people like that. I want to see him succeed. And I’m thankful to the NXT crowd for not burying him as they could have done.

Moonchild Gone Bad

On the February 12 episode of NXT we finally got a definitive CJ Parker heel turn. It's been needed for months.

After defeating a no name enhancement worker CJ demanded to know why people don’t love him. Tweaking his character so it was less a generic hippy and more a right wing green guy CJ continued by saying that he reduces, reuses and recycles, all to help the planet. He mentioned that he drives a “fuel efficient Ford Fiesta that gets forty miles to the gallon” and stated that he cares about Mother Earth. Who’s to blame for the planet being in the state it’s in? The “NXT Universe”. His delivery was shaky at points but mostly good and the decision was to adjust his character was the right one. Being a condescending conservationist suits him for more than being a standard issue peace and lovenik.

This was nobody's favourite feud

Since his debut 'The Moonchild' has been either met with disinterest or boos. The reason for this is simple. Hippy characters just aren’t applicable to modern culture. The lifestyle they represent jars with the modern approach to life. It’s why fans cheered Tyler Breeze over Parker. ‘Prince Pretty’ is a more relevant character and so is more relatable. Audiences understand a self-obsessed, narcissitic pretty boy taking selfies. The same can’t be said for a man billed as being from the Moonchild Commune. It didn’t help that Breeze was far more entertaining and assured in his role than Parker was in his.

There’s no obvious reason WWE should have been reluctant to turn Parker. I think it simply comes down to stubbornness. They’d decided he would be a babyface and they weren’t going to change him until they’d tried everything they could to have him accepted in that role. It’s not as though they needed him to be a fan fave. He’s not done anything notable that necessitated he be cheered. It was simply the role he’d been allocated.

This is part of a trend in NXT. As regulars at the TV tapings the fans at Full Sail University are largely in the position to dictate who gets presented as what. They selected Big E (Langston) as a top guy and embraced his five count gimmick, which happily coincided with WWE’s plans. But they torpedoed Bo Dallas’s presentation as a babyface, forcing WWE to alter plans. That worked out for the best as it gave Bo the chance to play a face unaware that he’s a heel. It’s a very effective act when done right but it’s something we’ve not seen much of in WWE. He turned out to be good at it and it’s helped him become more over than I think he would have otherwise.

This is a good way of working. Instead of trying to cram guys into roles the audience don’t want to see them in acts are presented and altered accordingly (with a bit of waiting, obviously). It not only makes the NXT show more enjoyable but it also gives the wrestlers the chance to learn how to tweak their characters. That’s a knack that encourages character consistency as wrestlers search for a way to provide a different spin for their character’s actions. That’s useful in coping with multiple face and heel switches, something many will (unfortunately) find themselves subjected to if they make it to WWE or the low budget Florida equivalent that is TNA.

Of course this is possible only because the NXT audience are so in tune with how most viewers feel and because the NXT roster has so many talented wrestlers. If the NXT regulars were really into guys like Mojo Rawley things would be working very differently.

The American Pitbulls

The saga of Davey Richards and Eddie Edwards continues!

Until recently the last major piece of news regarding the move of the American Wolves from ring of Honor to WWE was that they’d attended a tryout weekend at the Florida training facility in September. They’d returned to ROH after that. There was talk of them being offered developmental contracts but they kept being announced for shows with ROH. There was nothing solid to support an argument for or against them joining WWE.

This was until last Thursday. On that day WWE held an NXT taping in their regular haunt of Full Sail University and Richards and Edwards appeared as a tag team. Billed as the American Pitbulls they wrestled NXT tag team champion The Ascension in a non-title match.

The American Pitbulls

Unsurprisingly Richards and Edwards lost the match. Equally unsurprisingly they were given new individual names to go with the collective one. Richards was introduced as John Cahill while Edwards has become Eric Philbin. There’s nothing about either name that screams “larger than life wrestling personality!” but at least the team name has remained solid.

Despite this surprising development the two are still confirmed for Ring of Honor’s Final Battle show on December 14^th. Unlikely source Rob Feinstein has stated that this is because they’re being given an extended tryout with WWE. According to him Richards and Edwards (or, if you prefer, Cahill and Philbin) will wrestle at the next several NXT tapings before getting a run on SmackDown. If they can forge a connection with WWE fans during this time then, and only then, will they be offered contracts.

If true it’s an interesting approach from WWE. It’s also one I approve of. Giving wrestlers a chance to prove that they can fit into the WWE system is a better approach than just having them strut their stuff in front of company personnel. Getting over takes time. Working on NXT and SmackDown gives these guys, and any who follow them, the chance to create a following and an argument for being signed by WWE. It lets them prove they know how to do more than just have an exciting match.

Can Richards and Edwards get over, that’s the question. They managed to make it to the top of ROH together, but that’s a very different company to WWE. Fans of ROH appreciate lengthy, hard-hitting matches above anything else. They like a wrestler to have some charisma to them, but it’s not a prerequisite for success.

WWE fans, at least those who aren’t actively seeking out other forms of wrestling, are most concerned with characters. If a guy can wrestle well that’s great, but ultimately all someone needs is the conditioning to work a long match when required and a number of signature and finishing moves to slot into their matches.

So the question of success in WWE for the Wolves (or the Pitbulls) is less about their talent and more about whether they understand the key differences between the company they’ll be trying out for and the one for which they’ve spent the majority of the careers working. Both have been in wrestling long enough to know this sort of thing, and even if they had somehow convinced themselves they needed to concentrate on work rate they have friends in WWE (both road agents and members of the active roster) who would advise them otherwise.

Neither is known for their personality but I think they have enough in them to make an impression if they’re given the chance. They’re both worthy of WWE contracts and keeping them together as a unit would be the best (for business) move. I’m interested to see how they looked when facing O’Brian and Victor. And I’ll be looking forward to their matches against the likes of Wyatt Family and the Prime Time Players on SmackDown. If they have good matches against these sorts of guys they’ll deserve contracts.

Full Sail Ahead

WWE announced last week that NXT is no longer going to be recorded in conjunction with SmackDown on a Tuesday night. Instead the show, along with the TV output of developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling, will be recorded on Thursdays at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. This is a venue a short distance from the FCW training facility which is said to look fantastic on television and have a great live feel. It was hand-picked as the new location for FCW and NXT tapings by none other than Triple H, a man who’s been heavily involved in the talent development process of WWE for several years now.

I think this is a good move. The NXT portion of SmackDown tapings have provoked disinterest for at least eighteen months, largely because most people attending the tapings have no idea who the NXT regulars are and don’t care about finding out. That’s not a good atmosphere to have for a televised wrestling product (or an untelevised one come to that).

The impressive new location for FCW and NXT television shows

Instead of having crowd shots of dozens of people looking bored and restless the smaller venue will looked packed with excited, passionate fans. A regular venue will encourage regular fans who will form a more lively crowd and get to know the performers. They’ll have a reason for caring. There’s the potential for Full Sail to become like the ECW Arena: a relatively small venue that attracts loyal, passionate fans who decide who gets over.

A product that has excited fans on its TV show is more likely to be exciting to viewers at home.

Generally I’m against wrestling companies using the same venue on a weekly basis. I’ve been very outspoken against TNA in particular for their unwillingness to broadcast or tape IMPACT at different locations. The difference between TNA and FCW/NXT should be obvious though: TNA is a promotion alleging to operate on the national level while NXT and FCW are marketed as training grounds for the WWE stars of tomorrow. Ratings are not an issue for those leagues, training is.

FCW's current regular haunt is a dingy dive. The sooner they move location the better

It’s a great opportunity for the men and women of the two shows. They will be getting just as much screen time but in better surroundings and in front of more receptive fans. It will be a more positive atmosphere and one in which they can continue progressing towards the WWE main roster. That’s the entire point of FCW. Meanwhile NXT has become a sort of halfway house between FCW and the bright lights of RAW and SmackDown.

It’s also worth noting that WWE have confirmed Jim Ross will be on announcing duties for the first show, alongside ring veteran and talented colour commentator William Regal. Whether this will be a regular gig for the former RAW lead announcer remains to be seen but it will be good news if it is. JR is such a talented commentator that he’s practically a draw in his own right. It’s also great for the wrestlers on the FCW and NXT rosters to have the chance to have one of the best commentators ever call their matches.

How the change will impact WWE’s call-up process we can only guess at at this stage. Presumably it will remain largely unchanged:  if a wrestler is able to get over in front of the new crowd they’ll stand a better chance at being used in dark matches and at live events at RAW and SmackDown. That’s how Dean Ambrose and Antonio Cesaro have found their way to the big leagues in recent months. Hopefully the trend will continue and the crowds of Full Sail will help a new batch of WWE talent learn and develop into the stars WWE needs.