By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
WWE issued the following press release on Monday to announce that Full Sail University will serve as the weekly home of the NXT on USA Network television series.
Orlando, FL., September 9, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and Full Sail University have expanded their partnership as NXT® will now emanate weekly from Full Sail Live and air on Wednesday nights live on USA Network at 8/7c starting September 18.
Additional ticket information for all remaining 2019 weekly NXT events can be found at https://nxttickets.ticketforce.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=9.
“Full Sail University has been invaluable to the success of NXT,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative. “The passion we see from their students inspires our entire NXT roster and staff, and we are excited for the brand’s next chapter at Full Sail Live each week.”
“WWE is known the world over for being a leader in the entertainment industry, and as an educational partner to Full Sail University, they have served to inspire the next generation of production professionals that are being taught on our campus daily,” said Full Sail University President, Garry Jones. “With the latest announcement of NXT emanating from Full Sail Live each week and airing on the USA Network, we look forward to the expanded learning opportunities this will provide to our students.”
WWE and Full Sail University began their partnership in 2012. Since that time, Full Sail Live has played host to monthly NXT events, multiple NXT TakeOver specials and the Mae Young Classic and Cruiserweight Classic tournaments. In addition, the partnership has resulted in hundreds of hours of practical production experience for more than 1,200 students, multiple career networking opportunities for students and grads, and WWE has granted more than $400,000 in scholarships to Full Sail University students, which are applied toward the recipient’s areas of study within the university. The partnership will continue to deliver real-world experience to students in all facets of broadcasting and television.
NXT launched in 2010 and has risen to become WWE’s third global brand alongside Raw® and SmackDown®, hosting nearly 200 live events around the world each year. Airing on Wednesday nights at 8 pm, NXT has been WWE Network’s #1 weekly series.
NXT offers a unique blend of authentic in-ring action with exciting and entertaining storylines that feature WWE’s hottest up-and-coming Superstars including Adam Cole™, Velveteen Dream™, Shayna Baszler™, Johnny Gargano®, Matt Riddle™, Bianca Belair™, Io Shirai™, Candice LeRae™, Tommaso Ciampa™, Kyle O’Reilly™ and Bobby Fish™. The brand’s diverse roster consists of elite athletes from the NFL, collegiate and amateur sports, MMA and international sports such as rugby, kushti and kabaddi. It is also the birthplace to 80 percent of the current Raw and SmackDown rosters including Becky Lynch®, Seth Rollins®, Roman Reigns®, Charlotte Flair®, Bayley®, Sasha Banks®, Alexa Bliss®, Bray Wyatt® and Baron Corbin®.
Powell’s POV: There are pros and cons to holding a weekly pro wrestling series in the same venue. On the plus side, this move will keep the production and travel costs lower. On the negative side, the regulars who attend the tapings can become overexposed to the product, which doesn’t always make for hot crowds. Furthermore, AEW will be running in larger venues when they run opposite NXT on Wednesdays, which could lead to the TNT production looking more major league than NXT.
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