WWE Rumors: NXT moving to FOX as part of the Smackdown deal

Since news broke about Fox securing the broadcasting rights to Smackdown Live in 2019, there are more bits of information coming out about the deal. The biggest piece of the puzzle comes with NXT. If you aren’t sure, NXT is the development brand of WWE that grooms for the future. In the last couple of years, it has become the third brand under the WWE umbrella. In the few years, we have seen the brand get guys like Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Ricochet, Candice LeRae, and others.

The reason NXT is brought up is that when Smackdown Live moves to Fox in 2019, NXT will also follow suit and be aired on Fox and Fox Sports 1, according to Slice Wrestling. This will be a major step for the WWE as they will get more eyes on the future. In addition, the WWE will end up getting more eyes on the product. WWE shows NXT on its own network. This isn’t the first time that bringing NXT to TV has been brought up. There has been chatter for a long time to bring NXT on to Monday nights and air right before RAW. Raw has been three hours for the last few years and people have become tired of it. One of the suggestions brought up was to have NXT air in the 8 pm hour. Thus becoming the lead in for Raw.

This move to Fox will essentially make NXT the third brand. However, it seems that the Network would be losing here. As we reported a few days ago, the WWE is open to the idea of selling the broadcasting rights of WrestleMania to TV. If they were to pull NXT and WrestleMania off the Network, it would be hard to sell the Network going further.

You should take this with a grain of salt. There has been nothing official from the WWE or Fox. Until they say it’s official, this move is going as a rumor.

Jon Blayne

Jon is a diehard wrestling fan but still takes time to show his devotion to the Giants, Mets, and Knicks