Analyzing the State of WWE NXT 7 Years Later

In the span of seven years, NXT has become one of the hottest commodities in not only WWE but also wrestling thanks to Triple H's vision of wanting to rebuild the brand as the foundation for the future.

On May 11, 2012, WWE announced that NXT would immediately begin taping out of Full Sail University for its weekly television show and that its developmental territory FCW would be closing its doors soon after. This relaunch for NXT was the best thing that could have happened to the show, as it had been written off as a flop by fans two years earlier upon its debut on SyFy.

This revamped version of NXT, however, was completely different than its predecessor. Instead of carrying a competition-style format, it would be a traditional wrestling program, with matches and segments focusing on the talent of tomorrow.

Daniel Pena of Wrestling Inc reported at the time that the reason behind the brand's full-time move to Full Sail was to give the show a "university feel" and a more engaged audience. Previously, the rookies had been competing in front of crowds who couldn't have cared less about the product, so this was the shot in the arm NXT needed.

The first few episodes of NXT weren't anything out of the ordinary, though they did offer early previews of the stars that Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and Paige would become. After a tournament was held that same summer to determine the inaugural NXT champion (which Rollins won), women's and tag team titles were also introduced to give everyone on the roster something to fight for.

By mid-2013, the show started to catch steam, and after NXT Arrival became the first wrestling program to stream live on WWE Network in February 2014, the sky was the limit for what NXT could achieve.

From its early days to now, NXT has evolved into a bigger brand than anyone could have imagined. The show still tapes out of Full Sail University and hits the road for the occasional TakeOver specials, which have earned a reputation for being some of the best wrestling events all year.

NXT's success as a "feeder system" of sorts for Raw and SmackDown Live cannot be denied. A vast majority of the main roster has roots in NXT, and although not every call-up pans out, most of today's greatest Superstars, such as Rollins, Kevin Owens and Charlotte Flair, got their starts on the black-and-gold brand.

With WWE programming hitting new lows recently, fans look to NXT for guaranteed entertainment and a glimpse of what they can someday expect on the main roster.

Credit: WWE.com

Perhaps the most impressive part of NXT's rapid growth is how it never ceases to replenish the pot whenever wrestlers are brought up to the main stage of WWE. Three to four notable names can be promoted at one time, but the brand does an exceptional job of filling the void with names waiting in the wings at the Performance Center.

The hour-long format of the program should never change. It ensures that no one feels overexposed and features a nice mix of promos, video packages and showcase matches for NXT's brightest prospects.

While NXT does boast a ton of established stars from various promotions across the globe, countless competitors have been built from scratch, with Roman Reigns, Lars Sullivan and Alexa Bliss being the most prominent examples.

Anyone attempting to predict NXT's inevitable demise will be disappointed to find out that the brand continues to outdo itself with every TakeOver it produces. The roster is stacked, the stories are stellar and the matches are always top-notch.

NXT could be improved upon in a few ways, whether that's bolstering the women's division or adding more tag teams to the mix. But those minor criticisms aside, the brand's strengths outweigh its weaknesses as an incredible alternative for fans.

In times such as these, when Raw and SmackDown leave a lot to be desired, at least NXT can be counted on to deliver the goods and come through with an exceptional experience everyone can enjoy.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is an Endicott College alumnus and aspiring journalist. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.