- Feb 27, 2002
- 197,844
- 57,177
I don’t think they don’t not believe in it. But they don’t need it. They’ll make whatever they want, they’ll make a new star when they feel like it. And they’ll tell you who it’s going to be.
They’re trying to get a TV deal for AAA. They’re trying to reach a goal. They’re also competing harder in the marketplace. It is its own niche, the only way to get to where you’re going is to be great at it.
It also captures the imagination of the wrestling fan’s wrestling fan - right now. When black and gold NXT was hot, it felt like a secret. It felt like you knew something others didn’t. It felt insurgent. It was appealing to fewer of the same people. You didn’t know WWE could be that good. Most importantly, it had a feeling that made you feel part of it. They kept saying “We are NXT” because there were people who weren’t. It also had the added element that there was an expiration date. You would see them before everyone else did, before it became seeing them before they got to Vince and were forced to suck and wish they could go back.
It stopped being that when they wanted it to serve a new purpose, and it became something other than what made it special. It was no longer organic.
I kinda have similar vibes right now about AAA, not 100% like 2015-2020 NXT. Even if it wasn’t as special as the first Takeover Brooklyn, or even the second one, it did exude Sasha vs Bayley vibes in that I feel like not enough people that know about it, need to hear about it. We’re at a point again where people don’t know WWE can be this good, with people we didn’t know they could allowed to run with the ball like they are. And it felt like we knew something other fans of wrestling didn’t. We got two people who we know can be great allowed to be even better than that.
The other thing is, because WWE isn’t producing many satisfying stories or matches right now, when they do get one, it feels more special, and that’s another thing that made the early Takeover era of NXT different. In comparing it to AEW, AEW tends to have so many things that are *too* good. If everything is must-see, then it’s not special. 10 years ago, if there was a 5-star match, you needed to see it. That’s not the case now. It doesn’t mean it’s not great, but it’s not special. In this, you had so many elements come together to make it work, it’s harder to do, and pays off more satisfyingly when it does.
They’re trying to get a TV deal for AAA. They’re trying to reach a goal. They’re also competing harder in the marketplace. It is its own niche, the only way to get to where you’re going is to be great at it.
It also captures the imagination of the wrestling fan’s wrestling fan - right now. When black and gold NXT was hot, it felt like a secret. It felt like you knew something others didn’t. It felt insurgent. It was appealing to fewer of the same people. You didn’t know WWE could be that good. Most importantly, it had a feeling that made you feel part of it. They kept saying “We are NXT” because there were people who weren’t. It also had the added element that there was an expiration date. You would see them before everyone else did, before it became seeing them before they got to Vince and were forced to suck and wish they could go back.
It stopped being that when they wanted it to serve a new purpose, and it became something other than what made it special. It was no longer organic.
I kinda have similar vibes right now about AAA, not 100% like 2015-2020 NXT. Even if it wasn’t as special as the first Takeover Brooklyn, or even the second one, it did exude Sasha vs Bayley vibes in that I feel like not enough people that know about it, need to hear about it. We’re at a point again where people don’t know WWE can be this good, with people we didn’t know they could allowed to run with the ball like they are. And it felt like we knew something other fans of wrestling didn’t. We got two people who we know can be great allowed to be even better than that.
The other thing is, because WWE isn’t producing many satisfying stories or matches right now, when they do get one, it feels more special, and that’s another thing that made the early Takeover era of NXT different. In comparing it to AEW, AEW tends to have so many things that are *too* good. If everything is must-see, then it’s not special. 10 years ago, if there was a 5-star match, you needed to see it. That’s not the case now. It doesn’t mean it’s not great, but it’s not special. In this, you had so many elements come together to make it work, it’s harder to do, and pays off more satisfyingly when it does.
