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To say 2015 is going to end up being a really interesting, weird, remarkable year is an understatement. In fact, when it's all said and done, it's going to end up being the year of the indies - and out of everyone you'd suspect of being the top supporter to the independents, chances are you'd never suspect it would be WWE, but really, all signs point to just that.
WWE NXT isn't just a developmental brand anymore, but really, a WWE produced super-independent promotion that not only houses the talents of tomorrow but puts the top talents from everywhere from New Japan to ROH to even TNA (hello, Samoa Joe!) under one roof. You want dream matches? Kevin Owens vs. Samoa Joe. You want kickass women? Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch. You want to find and discover your own new favorites? From Enzo to Dempsey to Crowe to Breeze, there's a new generation of talents to follow - and to boot, the shows are in venues so intimate, you'd think you are going to see CHIKARA or the original ECW.
Sami Zayn made a great point at the Wrestlemania weekend NXT event in San Jose when he said that developmental used to be a dirty word in WWE, a place where guys went and toiled while they waited to be plucked from obscurity. Now, guys like Zayn can enjoy the full benefits of not only being on weekly TV, but all the money that comes with having an official WWE action figure and t-shirts, etc. before they even MAKE IT to the roster. Think about how many NXT names ended up in the last WWE videogame. That means big-time royalties for all of these talents.
Then, there is the rise of Kevin Owens. If you would have told me a year ago, Owens would have been on the main roster as fast as he was, I'd have been trying to sell you The Brooklyn Bridge. But, to his and WWE's credit, Owens has been presented as the same guy he was on the independents, a brash arrogant bastard who's fighting for his family and doesn't care who is in his way, plus he's the same in the ring and has been presented as a legitimate threat to John Cena to the point he went one on one with him and destroyed him in the ring cleanly. You know who didn't get to do that? Rusev, Bray Wyatt, or well, just about anyone else not named Daniel Bryan that Cena has wrestled in the last 5 years. Owens was given that gift, one that reinforced his independent roots, not one that diluted them. This weekend, he gets to do it again. It's mind-boggling awesome.
The stories making the rounds about a potential deal with WWN are equally mind-bogglingly and to me, if what we are hearing from WWE sources turns out to be correct, WWE should be applauded for what appears to for lack of a better term, an enrichment program for the independent scene. Sure, someone will complain that WWE is out to kill the indies, but what are they killing it with - by allowing talents a place they can try and hone themselves? By potentially partnering with the guy who helped book ROH into prominence and helped book a number of talents right into the WWE system? By allowing talents a potential conduit into NXT and by having the foresight to think about not just the future 2 years down the line, but 3,4,5,6,7,8 to the point they aren't just thinking about the raw talents they might want to bring in but also insuring those talents won't have locked themselves into something that could come back to bite them in the rear? That's not hurting anyone - that's helping to insure their short and long term future.
I know a lot of indy talents and while I respect them all, the one thing many don't think about is the future. Sure, they are worried about the next booking but the idea of planning and strategizing their way into the next level? About making something they love not just their lifestyle, but their career? Not a lot of them do that or know the best right way to do that. They send photos and videos and hope to network their way in. The last few years, that has changed thanks to the Performance Center and now, WWE has, apparently, started to work out a way that can help talents plan for their future before they are even signed to be part of the company. Just by exploring their options, WWE are looking at the future of talents who they might not EVEN sign, and that's pretty damn interesting to me.
Just as the company changed the way their talents approach their health, their financial well being and even their education over the course of the last decade, if everything comes to pass, one day, maybe not tomorrow, but down the line, this potential WWN deal will be seen as the day WWE helped the independents change for the better - into something that's not just a convoluted alphabet soup of promotions out for a quick buck, but a legitimate platform where the right talent can find their first step to the WWE roster.
Hey, the next John Cena has to start somewhere right? For Cena, it was UPW. The next one, hopefully, will come from the indies and hopefully, will maneuver his way to the main roster, the way Kevin Owens did - and maximize his fan base, his hard work and his (or her) time - to cash in.
2015 looks to be changing things, for the better, for every indy talent that aspires to be something more than just a weekend warrior. It's really funny and interesting to me that Triple H, the guy who was ripped on for years for holding back everyone, might now be the guy responsible for not just enriching the independent scene but rebuilding and changing the laws of nature of indy wrestling.
As much as it's "cool" to boo WWE and cheer your local company, in 2015, WWE is as responsible as anyone for many of your local company's former stars to go on and make an actual legitimate living for themselves.
Vince McMahon once killed the territories. It could be his son-in-law has learned from that mistake. What an awesome next few years it could be if that is indeed the case.
What an interesting, weird, remarkable year this is! Tyler Breeze challenging for the EVOLVE title? Team NXT in King of Trios? Who the hell knows what could happen next, but this is the sort of stuff that makes you love wrestling...and the sort of stuff that reminds you that WWE is smartly planning for their own future...and by doing so, protecting the indy scene everyone loves.
Mike Johnson can be reached at MikeJohnsonPWInsider@gmail.com
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