Beth Phoenix discusses the changes in NXT.
WWE’s NXT 2.0 brand is several months into their reboot. NXT 2.0 recently wrapped up their Halloween Havoc special and in December, they’ll be presenting a WarGames edition of the show.
Color commentator Beth Phoenix joined David LaGreca and Bully Ray on Busted Open Radio to discuss her new EP, ‘Stone Rose and Bone’ and the shift in the NXT product. Beth said she has not had to change her approach to commentary and Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett and herself are being encouraged to be themselves on TV.
No [NXT 2.0 has not led to me changing my commentary style] and there’s not, per se, new people in charge. I would just say we’re freshening up the brand more than anything and like I said, focusing more on like — instead of NXT being really branded as the yellow brand or the little engine that could, we’re looking to produce stars. That’s our entire directive, our entire motivation. The matches that you see are not only just reps for these stars but also for everybody to kind of push the envelope a little bit and I love that. We’re uncuffing a lot of the talent and giving them an opportunity to just try some stuff, try it. Like let us reel you back instead of telling you, ‘Come on, you gotta light it up. You gotta light it up.’ Like go out there, try different things and it’s the same for us as commentators. We’re being encouraged right now to just kind be ourselves more, show more personality, don’t be so married to the agenda and be walking the straight line. Like let’s just have fun out there and if we mess up, we mess up. You know, we’re human. We don’t wanna be perceived as robots. We wanna bring personality and a big part of ourselves to the show.
Phoenix was asked if she believes NXT 2.0 is going to make the transition to the main roster easier for talents and here was her response:
Yes [I think NXT 2.0 creates an easier transition to the main roster]. I think in a lot of ways, the talent is getting an opportunity not only in their training behind the scenes, all their preparation for TV, but they’re getting a great education in learning television as well which is a whole different animal. It’s something you can’t learn doing live shows on the independent scene unless you’re being filmed with multiple cameras in the WWE style, you know? We’re always working the camera and if you’ve never done that, it’s different. It’s theater versus movies. It’s completely different so, I feel like there’s been an emphasis now, working with the talent very closely to help them to slow down and to find your camera and to, you know, really be expressive in more ways than just doing high spots.
On tonight’s NXT 2.0, Dakota Kai is scheduled to go one-on-one with Raquel Gonzalez, Tony D’Angelo is taking on Dexter Lumis and following the show, the upNXT crew will be recording their NXT 2.0 review live on Twitch.
If the quotes in this article are used, please credit Busted Open Radio with an H/T to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
