NXT’s partnerships should be taken advantage of more, from TNA to the territories. On November 7, NXT ran from the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The historic venue hosted the night’s tribute to ECW history while platforming younger talents. Plunder matches, familiar faces, and attitude were the order of the evening.
However, throughout the episode, the spotlight shone on NXT’s brightest strength—the women’s division. Without rose-tinted glasses, the brand’s biggest strength evoked what made ECW special.
As a promoter, Paul Heyman understood that playing to strengths made for a stronger product. The focus on the women reflected that.
NXT’s women’s division has consistently been a topic of praise in wrestling fandom and media. As WWE creates a healthy crop for the company’s future, fans see the work being put in. Nights like NXT 2300 can happen more.
WWE can take advantage of promotions that they own and those they’re partnered with. If WWE is serious about positively influencing the outer sphere of wrestling, this could be of mutual benefit. They can honor history while elevating new stars.
WCW
Let’s get the obvious choice out of the way, shall we?
From the late 1980s to the early 2000s, WCW stood opposite WWF. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, the promotion dominated the mid-late 1990s. They remained on equal footing with WWF, sporting talents such as Goldberg, Sting, and Diamond Dallas Page.
WCW had an additional temporary boost once the New World Order (NWO) took over. For 83 notorious weeks, WCW beat WWF in the ratings as many will kindly remind you. Though it petered out between 1999 and 2001, some fans still fondly remember WCW.
Holding an NXT Tuesday Nitro event is a no-brainer. Recreating the iconic entrance ramp with an NXT logo, with a flame-adorned ring apron can instantly evoke those nostalgic feelings. Cameoing talents such as Page, Goldberg, Kevin Nash, Sean Waltman, and other surprise guests could keep that nitrous flame burning.
The highlights can take wrestlers to cruiserweight highs since WCW’s cruiserweight division was one of the promotion’s high points. My immediate recommendation? Rey Mysterio versus Je’Von Evans—that’d be so awesome!
Main roster stars to bolster the show, with Atlanta’s own Cody Rhodes or former WCW wrestlers still active like AJ Styles. Michael Buffer is still around, perhaps he can call the main event like the old days.
With how much more loving WWE is to WCW than the previous regime, I wouldn’t rule this out. The company brought back WarGames for a reason.
TNA Wrestling
Following the closure of WCW, TNA Wrestling opted to take off where the former left off. Stemming from Nashville, Tennessee, TNA has undergone many changes.
Changes that should have ended it but didn’t. There’s a “Hard to Kill” joke in there somewhere.
Revitalizing the careers of WWE, WCW, and ECW wrestlers, TNA also boasted fresh crops of talent. The X-Division and Knockouts Division were ahead of where WWE had been at the time. But most importantly, they had a six-sided ring.
Now, a TNA-WWE collaboration isn’t anything new. The wrestlers of TNA have already stepped foot in a WWE ring and vice versa.
Some include The Rascalz, Joe Hendry, Frankie Kazarian, Alex Hammerstone, and Jordynne Grace. Before that, Mickie James made her iconic entrance to “Hardcore Country” at the 2022 Royal Rumble, with the Knockouts Championship proudly on her waist.
But what if WWE and TNA pushed further? It wouldn’t have to be an invasion per se, but rather akin to AEW and NJPW’s exciting Forbidden Door events, talents competing for the love of the game. Six-sided ring: optional.
Pro Wrestling NOAH
Born from a mass exodus of All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) in 2000, Mitsuharu Misawa helped usher in a new age for Japanese wrestling. Combining the booking styles of AJPW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, NOAH became one of many forward-pushing companies worldwide.
In its early days, NOAH featured talents like Naomichi Marufuji, Takeshi Morishima, and KENTA. These fresh talents (and others) developed styles and finishers that contemporary talents use today. It would be an understatement to say that NOAH changed the game— they revolutionized things.
WWE fans may have already seen WWE talents in NOAH, including NXT’s own Tavion Heights. But now, it’s time to spill their emerald paint onto NXT’s canvas. Ultimately, the biggest tell of a great NOAH show is hard-hitting matches that leave fans on the edge of their seat.
At their best, the stiffness and storytelling of NOAH are of match-of-the-year quality. NXT could use this – the men’s division could use the tweaking to catch up to its women’s division. A NOAH night can reset perception, possibly for both brands.
Recently, NXT gained Yoshiki Inamura, a younger face from NOAH, and was welcomed heartily by Shawn Michaels on social media. With his impending presence, WWE could make a big show of it. Let fans know why NOAH is a crucial part of modern pro wrestling.
Marigold
Speaking of the women’s division, Joshi wrestling has been a standard in professional wrestling. In the past few years, so has NXT’s women’s roster.
NXT’s current biggest strength is how well-defined the women wrestlers are, from character work to in-ring ability. Marigold can keep that momentum going.
Since Rossy Ogawa’s controversial departure from World Wonder Ring Stardom in early 2024, he’s made some moves. Founding Marigold, Rossy brought Giulia, Utami Hayashishita, Mirai, and Mai Sakurai to boost name value. He didn’t stop there, either—he gathered talents from Actwres girl’Z (AWG) for additional substance.
An all-women’s special for NXT can draw. But to include a promotion with women who kick ass on the regular? Sign me up.
This partnership can prop up former Stardom wrestlers. It’ll also introduce AWG girls to wider audiences.
Together, both teams can mutually benefit each other. NXT can serve fans hard-hitting action, while Marigold gains more notoriety.
IYO SKY appeared in the promotion in a match against Utami Hayashishita in 2024, putting on a classic. Fans should have more, showcasing the main roster’s Joshi wrestlers while increasing the hype for the promotion.
Well, probably just Kairi Sane and Iyo Sky. There’s some history with Asuka and Ogawa that’s kind of awkward.
Territories
The territories of the past are a crucial part of pro wrestling history. AWA, WCCW, Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, and more had this interconnected web of wrestlers and bookers collaborating. Wrestlers like Dusty Rhodes, Jim Duggan, Andre the Giant, and Harley Race would travel across regions to entertain fans.
So much of what we know of wrestling stems from the people in arenas big and small. That was before the industry became monopolized.
Sadly, time may scrub these things away in their purest form. So, fans deserve to celebrate these memories as they understand how far wrestling has come.
A sad truth about the territory days is that most of these storytellers have since left us. Enough remains to share what the system represented, and this could work to NXT’s benefit.
Look at what AEW has done for legends in managerial positions. They’re utilized in ways that make sense.
Whether a special for a specific territory or the territory system in general, it wouldn’t require much effort, presentation-wise. Darkened arenas, like NXT used to have.
Flags from several nations representing talent home bases, and steel barricades to instill that nostalgia. Keeping that spirit alive, I think, would ideally integrate WWE’s partners as listed above.
Conclusion
Understandably, hardcore wrestling fans are uneasy with WWE’s relationships with other companies. Historically, the company has a reputation for buying out promotions or other such things. I mean, Black Saturday wiped out most of the territories, leaving very few promotions around.
As such, the pro wrestling scene depended on WWF to live. All of that, while TNA Wrestling and the independent scene had to innovate and grow the next crop of wrestlers.
Now more companies and promotions are thriving, it’s time that WWE genuinely embraces further. Embrace, but not conquer. This is but a mere template for if WWE truly wishes to give back to the industry.
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