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WWE Hall of Famer Booker T Evaluates the Impact of NXT’s Move to The CW
As the October 1 debut of “WWE NXT” on The CW network approaches, unexpected appearances are on the rise, including The Bloodline from “SmackDown” and TNA’s Jordynne Grace, Hammerstone, and Rosemary. A highly anticipated card for the debut show has begun to take shape, featuring CM Punk for the CW launch in his Chicago hometown, with further hype set for next week’s episode. Two-time WWE Hall of Famer and current “NXT” color commentator Booker T shared on his “Hall of Fame” podcast that the show’s prominence has already increased, raising the stakes for superstars to perform.
Booker T highlighted the elevated importance of each show and the additional scrutiny that will accompany it. “It’s gonna [bring] a whole lot more criticism if you’re not out there really, really performing at a certain level with Twitter and all that stuff now,” he remarked. “You’re gonna be put out there and exposed to a lot more fans [and] it’s gonna be a sink or swim mentality.” Reflecting on this, Booker added, “For me, it again resonates that cream rises to the top.”
With his in-ring career largely behind him (despite Trick Williams’ previous wishes otherwise), Booker T expressed both excitement and envy about the current WWE developmental landscape. He feels that such an environment could have been a tremendous opportunity for him early in his career. “This is huge,” Booker said. “I’m jealous in so many ways. I could see myself coming up in an NXT system when I first got into the business and how great that would have been to actually have that kind of springboard into the next level. Man, it would have been awesome.”
