We’ve seen a lot of people talking recently about how NXT deserves a spot on the WrestleMania card and it’s hard to disagree with that mentality. NXT made a huge splash in the wrestling world during 2014 and 2015 is looking like it will be an even bigger year for the brand. What better way to make sure NXT gets the attention it deserves than to give the brand its own spot at WrestleMania 31.
#4 – WrestleMania Needs Something Unique
The streak is over, the money in the bank ladder match now has its own pay-per-view and there’s no indication that the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will happen again this year. That means WrestleMania needs some sort of special attraction to fill the gap and NXT could definitely do the trick. Although NXT is a brand under the WWE umbrella, it still feels different. You don’t get the same feeling watching NXT as you do when you watch Raw or SmackDown and that’s a good thing. That’s something WrestleMania needs.
#3 – The Roster Deserves It
Notice how we said “the roster” as opposed to selecting specific wrestlers? NXT is a brand that clearly has a team mentality and the roster knows that what’s good for the individual is good for the brand. Regardless of who the champion and/or challenger is at the time, everyone in NXT is deserving of this spot. If two, three or maybe even four people get their chance to shine on the grandest stage of them all, it brings attention to the entire brand as a whole and the roster has definitely earned that level of attention.
#2 – The WrestleMania Crowd Will Love It
We all know that the crowd at WrestleMania is made up of WWE fans that travel from all over the world. That means the crowd at WrestleMania is made up of some of the most hardcore fans on the planet and it’s safe to assume many of them are NXT fans as well. These fans likely won’t have many opportunities to see a NXT live event if they’re traveling from overseas. Allowing them to see their favorite NXT wrestlers on a big stage will make them feel like they saw something special, which would cause them to react in a positive way, which would translate to the audience at home. If everyone watching WrestleMania sees a crowd of 60,000 plus people cheering on wrestlers from NXT, they’re much more likely to tune into the show on the WWE Network and it could even lead to more subscriptions.
#1 – It Has The Potential To Be Match Of The Night
A lot of the wrestlers in NXT such as Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Hideo Itami, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens are experience wrestlers that have already traveled the world. These guys know that every single time they step in the ring, they have to give it their all. One has to imagine that whoever could end up on the card if this does happen will do everything in their power to “maximize their minutes” as Jim Ross would say. The audience knows what to expect from the WWE roster but they don’t know what to expect from the NXT roster. A lack of preconceived expectations gives these wrestlers a better chance to blow the audience away.
Those are our thoughts on why the NXT Championship should be defended at WrestleMania 31. Do you think it’s a good idea?
