The Money in the Bank card is filled with major matches and WWE superstars, both who are rising through the roster and those who are already established. Looking deeper, there’s one thing that stands out among the more than two dozen wrestlers who will be involved in the matches – the NXT brand.
NXT is billed as WWE’s developmental brand. It’s a way for those who either don’t know the art of professional wrestling to get hands-on training or those who don’t know the television side of the business to ingratiate themselves before, hopefully, moving to the Raw or SmackDown brands.
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Nearly everyone on the card has been in NXT before heading up to the main roster. The outliers include Roman Reigns, who got his start in Florida Championship Wrestling, which came before NXT was founded, and CM Punk, who made his mark outside the WWE before making his way to WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling. Penta never competed in NXT either. He became a legend in Mexico before receiving substantial face time on American programming.
Everyone else got their feet wet in NXT, whose show takes place at the WWE Performance Center. The Money in the Bank card underscores how far WWE has come in creating the superstars of tomorrow in NXT.
“The Performance Center is a very special place,” women’s U.S. champion Jacy Jayne told OutKick Dropkick. “I feel like they, well, not I feel, I know they have the best coaches in the world. There’s a coach that can help you with literally everything. There’s someone for everybody. There’s a lot of cooks in the kitchen, sometimes you gravitate more towards one or the other, but you definitely learn your craft, you learn how to talk, you learn how to be confident, you learn cameras, you learn everything.
“So, they set you up for success. And I know it might not come as quick as some people want it to, and they get tired of being in the same routine, but it definitely pays off if you listen to what they have to say and you apply it.”
Hundreds of thousands tune into NXT on Tuesday nights and monitor the WWE Universe on social media on the daily.
With the number of superstars who have come out of NXT and who have transcended sports entertainment, it’s worth wondering whether there was a “secret sauce” to the training that goes on behind the scenes in the Performance Center.
Jayne agreed to a point.
“There’s so many people with experience that work there that you might not really know about, like people that used to be on NXT, people that were wrestlers or behind the scenes people,” she said. “There’s so much happening at the Performance Center every day. There’s so many different classes that you can take, extra work, like ring work. It’s a machine, really, and they’re just pumping out superstars by the day.”
Jayne will be among the women contending in the Money in the Bank ladder match along with Lola Vice, Tiffany Stratton, Sol Ruca, Lash Legend and Roxanne Perez.
Joe Hendry, a former NXT champion who joined WWE from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), isn’t involved in the Money in the Bank. He just put out an album titled “Beyond Belief.”
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However, in an interview with OutKick Dropkick, he applauded those working in NXT for helping him get ready for the next level.
“NXT was a fantastic resource for me. It allowed me to come into the company and to learn how WWE works very quickly. I’m proud to say that I was NXT champion. That was something I was able to achieve. I worked very hard for it,” he said. “When I came to WWE it was not mandatory for me to be there on a day-to-day basis. I could have just showed up for the shows, but I said, nope, I’m going to be there every day for classes. I’m going to take part in their gym sessions and the nutrition stuff. I’m going to be there for all the classes and I’m going to do all of the smaller live events as well.
“I took part in everything and I think that was a really important part of my career, and I think it was a huge part of my development personally. I think that’s a testament to the fact that I was able to win the NXT Championship and also, as you say, seeing the amount of superstars that are being called up from NXT to the main roster right now, that is a testament to the system.”
Saturday’s Money in the Bank puts forth the notion that if you give your all and you put all of your energy and effort into the craft that is professional wrestling, you could possibly achieve the most wildest dreams.
Maybe NXT is the third brand in some circles, but in reality, it’s a gateway to a next level most cannot get to but serves as a pipeline to what is possible.
