With Scott D'Amore officially out of the Impact Zone after a failed attempt to buy the promotion out from under current owner Anthem, it's safe to say the face of TNA wrestling is Joe Hendry, even if he now gets much more acclaim for his appearances in the WWE Universe as the fastest-rising star in NXT.
Now granted, it sure doesn't feel like Hendry is the top star in TNA if you simply watch the promotion's weekly show, as they continue to push Nic Nemeth as World Champion for one reason or another – read: he isn't WWE-bound when his deal expires – but in NXT? Well, let's just say no performer, not even Trick Williams, Roxanne Perez, or even NXT Champion “All Ego” Ethan Page, earns a bigger pop than the “Prestigious One.”
Discussing what it's been like to be the face of the TNA-NXT talent exchange in an interview with USA Today, Hendry celebrated the pairing, as it has been fantastic for all parties involved, especially himself.
“This partnership between TNA wrestling and WWE has been the perfect example of business done right. Business done right is where every single party wins,” Hendry told USA Today.” TNA wins because we're selling out regularly now, our crowds are getting so big. We're gaining so much from the increased exposure. WWE, a lot of their NXT talents are getting the opportunity to perform for a different audience. Wrestlers win, and the fans win because it's an exciting product.”
While the TNA side of the collaboration has to be pretty happy with how things are going in their NXT collaboration, the WWE side of the proverbial equation is pretty stoked about the pairing, too, as Shawn Michaels detailed in an interview with WGN Radio.
“Well, look, that's obviously incredibly intriguing and interesting right now. I think we are still in the very beginning stages of that, exploring the different possibilities, and those are all things we're going to look at going forward. I'm obviously very pleased to know that these are partnerships that WWE is now open to, and I think that makes for unlimited possibilities,” HBK explained via Fightful.
“Now, what the specifics of all of those are as we go into the future, that'll be decided by people certainly more important than me. For me, getting to be the benefactor of having all these different talents at your utilization is very exciting for us. As we continue to explore those opportunities going forward, I think it's going to make for some pretty fantastic dream matches that are possible out there that I think a lot of people are going to want to see.”
As Paul “Triple H” Levesque pointed out during the SummerSlam press conference, while NXT doesn't necessarily get a massive viewership bump from its pairing with TNA, getting developmental stars like Riley Osbourne and Tatum Paxley more chances to work in front of a live audience, especially one that doesn't know them very well, is incredibly valuable for young star who may have never wrestled outside of the WWE system. If that remains the promotion's goal – plus capitalizing on the Hendry hype – then it's safe to say both parties are very happy with the partnership indeed.
Shawn Michaels is excited to take NXT on the road
Elsewhere on his NXT promotional tour, this time in an interview with Claibs Online, Mr. Michaels reflected on the decision to put his promotion back on the road to help promote their new television home on The CW.
While NXT won't be on the road every week, these opportunities just felt right for HBK and company, as it will allow NXT to make these moments feel special.
“We always have times where we talk about being able to get out a bit more on the road and the possibilities of doing that. You always have to worry about what’s best for the product and what’s within reason. When this unbelievable five-year partnership got announced with CW, there was just something where we wanted to make a big splash when we did it. It’s a fantastic deal, it’s a fantastic partnership. The CW is so behind NXT, so encouraged about having us on their network, it just seemed like the right thing to do is to make a huge splash in those first couple of shows,” Michaels explained via Fightful.
“The decision was made to go to Chicago and follow it up with St Louis on the 8th. There’s also gonna be other possibilities, those are announcements that have yet to come and look, there’s always going to be evolution when it comes to the NXT product and WWE a a whole. We’re always trying to continue to go to that next level of the sports entertainment genre. But for right now, excited about these first two shows, NXT is doing something, and so are RAW and SmackDown, that’s not really seen much in linear television anymore and that is continue to grow their audience and to grow a younger audience. Anytime you do that right now in the television landscape, it’s d**n near a miracle.”
With CM Punk already announced for the Chicago show and Randy Orton following close behind for the St. Louis show the following week, it's safe to say NXT is trying to pop a serious rating for The CW when it debuts on the network this October. How the move impacts the show into the future, however, will depend on typical shows, not hot-shotted efforts designed to drive engagement.
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