4 mistakes WWE must not make with their new brand

Major WWE news recently broke. After several years of maintaining just three full-time brands, the Sports Entertainment juggernaut is allegedly set to introduce a fourth one in the near future.

Joining Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown, and NXT on The CW will be NXT EVOLVE. According to reports, the program will be coming soon and it will be headed up by former Ring of Honor head booker Gabe Sapolsky.

Other reports indicate that the show could debut later this month or in February and could feature ID performers signed by the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. For now, however, none of this has been officially confirmed by World Wrestling Entertainment or Triple H himself.

While a new brand being introduced is extremely exciting, Triple H needs to be careful with how they treat the new show. This article will break down several key mistakes The Game and World Wrestling Entertainment must avoid making with NXT EVOLVE.

Below are four mistakes WWE must not make with their new brand.

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#4. The show must not be taped before or after NXT

Atmosphere is one of the most important parts of a wrestling show. The hardcore NXT fans and fun atmosphere helped make the show special. ECW was often carried by the audience making the shows even better than they actually were.

With WWE NXT EVOLVE, it is essential that the atmosphere is kept strong. As a result, Triple H needs to avoid having the show taped before or after NXT each week like NXT Level Up and 205 Live did.

This automatically makes a show feel less important, rushed, and the crowds are never fully into the matches. Instead, NXT EVOLVE needs to be held either in a separate location entirely, or, at the very least, on a separate day. Taping the show by itself will allow crowds to fully invest in it, which is necessary for EVOLVE to succeed.

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#3. EVOLVE cannot strictly feature indie talent nor PC students

WWE has to have a balance to succeed. You can't just have promos and you can't just have matches. As Thanos noted, everything needs to be perfectly balanced, as all things should be. The same applies to developmental.

Developmental can't just be indie wrestlers, as you need larger-than-life young athletes. At the same time, WWE can't just take these trainees from the NIL program and put them on a program, as they aren't ready to dominate a show and need experienced veterans to learn from.

As a result, Triple H needs to make sure EVOLVE isn't just Performance Center and NIL athletes, but it also can't be just wrestlers signed to an ID deal. Realistically, EVOLVE should be a mixture of both, which will lead to both sides developing better for it and the program being stronger as a whole because of it.

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#2. The program must be promoted on RAW, SmackDown, and NXT

WWE has a lot of programming. RAW, SmackDown, and NXT air in primetime slots each and every week. There is also a bunch of A&E programming, Speed on X, Main Event, and until recently, shows like NXT Level Up and RAW Talk.

Naturally, it is a balancing act to promote everything. The bigger shows need to take precedence, but the other programs still need to be highlighted. This is a key aspect WWE and Triple H need to be aware of with EVOLVE.

The program and the talent involved have to be highlighted. This includes on the company website, on social media, on commentary during bigger shows, and through ads. Neglecting promotion will all but guarantee the show is a flop.

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#1. WWE must make the show matter unlike 205 Live under Vince McMahon

WWE dabbling with other brands isn't quite new. In 2006, the company launched ECW, which ended when NXT replaced it. In 2016, 205 Live was launched and it later became an official brand alongside NXT UK.

Unfortunately, ECW, 205 Live, and NXT UK have all been discontinued. While the latter two suffered in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the issue was centered around Vince McMahon never giving any of the shows the attention they needed to succeed. For example, 205 Live never received tag titles or a TakeOver special.

With EVOLVE, it is important for Triple H and WWE to make the show matter. That means building toward special events, having titles, and above all else, still being part of the greater universe. This could mean Worlds Collide shows with other brands or getting a spotlight match once in a while.

This could even just come down to EVOLVE stars occasionally being drafted. Regardless, the company must avoid letting EVOLVE feel unimportant.