“NXT Can Be Its Own Brand Instead Of Just Developmental” Says WWE’s Nick Khan

Nick Khan thinks that NXT is so much more to WWE than just a developmental farming territory.

The gold brand has gone through quite a few changes over the past ten years. What started off as a genuine lower-tier rookie farm evolved significantly under Triple H. his plan for the brand was to bring in the biggest names from around the world and mold them into WWE superstars without taking too much away from what made them famous in the first place.

Eventually, the brand became so popular and so beloved that, despite being so much smaller in terms of reach and budget, it led to “better than RAW” chants and that show’s stars got cheered more than WWE’s biggest stars on WrestleMania weekend.

And while the brand did undergo something of a facelift in 2022, it appears to have settled on a mix of being a true developmental brand and something closer to Triple H’s independent wrestler haven.

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However, despite all those changes, Nick Khan still thinks very highly of the brand. In an interview courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter, Khan noted his plan for the brand going forward.

“Initially, NXT was on WWE Network. And then when the pandemic hit, USA/NBCU needed content, we did not miss a week of production. … So we went with Tuesday nights NXT on USA from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern time. NXT ratings are also trending up … so that is going in the right direction.

We think NXT has the viability to be its own standalone brand instead of just being a developmental system – a third brand, if you will, where you can see cross-over from our superstars on Raw and SmackDown to NXT while our young talent develops there. Once we get all of that situated, then we will look at other nights of the week to develop new content as well.”