Founded | June 2012 |
---|---|
Style |
Professional wrestling Sports entertainment |
Headquarters | Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida |
Founder(s) |
Triple H Dusty Rhodes |
Owner(s) | WWE |
WWE NXT, often referred to simply as NXT, is a professional wrestling promotion and a division of the American professional wrestling company WWE. It is based in Winter Park, Florida.
While its primary purpose is to serve as a developmental division for WWE, NXT has come to be viewed by wrestling writers and fans as its own distinct entity—effectively serving as a third brand complementing Raw and SmackDown.
Originally holding its shows primarily in the Orlando, Florida, area, NXT expanded its reach as time has gone on, having embarked on national and international tours, being praised for its high quality of wrestling, and captivating storylines.
In June 2012, WWE ceased operating Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), its developmental promotion in Tampa, Florida, and began running all of its developmental events and operations at Full Sail University under the "WWE NXT" banner. WWE had been using the NXT name for a television program featuring rookies from FCW competing to become WWE main roster members, though the reality television aspects of the show had been dropped earlier in 2012; WWE NXT now serves as the primary television program for the promotion.
On February 27, 2014, NXT held its first live two hour special event called NXT Arrival, which was also the first live in-ring program broadcast on the WWE Network. Eventually, WWE scheduled more live two-hour special events, which have since become a regular fixture on WWE Network.
In 2015, NXT promoted its first live events outside of Florida, with an event that was held in March in Columbus, Ohio. In August of that year, NXT held their first TakeOver show outside of Full Sail with NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and in December, held their first international TakeOver event with NXT TakeOver: London. By 2016, NXT was running approximately 200 shows per year between the U.S. and overseas.