3 reasons why NXT has gone downhill in 2019

Yesterday, All Elite Wrestling put tickets on sale for their next major event, All Out. Those tickets, about 15,000 of them for Chicago's Sears Center, sold out in minutes, with around 70,000 people waiting on the digital line for them. If you're a true wrestling fan, you welcomed this news. It shows that the market is thriving and there's a real demand for something new.

I'm betting that when you heard this news, one of the first things you thought about is WWE's next pay per view, Stomping Grounds, and its struggles to sell tickets. You'll almost certainly agree that the main roster's self-imposed malaise, possibly at its worst ever in 2019, undoubtedly stands in stark contrast to the brilliance that was Double or Nothing.

However, WWE's 2019 malaise has extended beyond the main roster. NXT has also shown signs of decay.

The actual wrestling, of course, is usually as good as ever. From a pure wrestling perspective, NXT TakeOver: XXV did better than Double or Nothing, and it also exceeded its fledgling rival in terms of production values.

Yet, NXT has lacked the magic that it had in the past, and the kind of magic that we saw at Double or Nothing. Aside from the North American Championship picture centering on Velveteen Dream, the storytelling leading into the celebrated TakeOvers has declined dramatically in 2019.

Because of the reputation it's built for itself, NXT has often gotten a pass in ways that the main roster hasn't, but we shouldn't let that prevent us from pointing out its growing failures, should we?

Let's point out those failures now. Note that this post will contain spoilers from the latest NXT tapings.

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#1 The women's division

This is the easiest failure to point out. The NXT women's division has been the worst not just on the yellow brand, but in the entire company, for some time now. Gone are the days of Paige, the four horsewomen, and Asuka.

Instead, Shayna Baszler's run as champion, particularly her abominable disgrace of a second reign, has strangled the vitality of a once-thriving division and destroyed the star power of its talent, which has time and again been made to look like fools so she can look good.

The latest comes in the form of Io Shirai, who lost cleanly to the "champion" at TakeOver: XXV, attacked her afterward to good reaction, and then lost to her again via fluke at the tapings, only to turn heel in the most disappointing manner possible, rendering the entire post-match angle at TakeOver pointless.

When we consider the misuse of the roster and the possibilities foregone all so the same stale formula with Shayna Baszler can continue, we realize the depth of the disaster. I think it's safe to say that an Io Shirai heel turn on a champion Kairi Sane would have been much better than anything the NXT women's division has done for the past 18 months.

Now heading into TakeOver: Toronto II, we have an unexciting match - Shayna Baszler vs. Mia Yim. There are no good outcomes in such a match. Either the champion retains and this boring formula continues, or Mia Yim wins, but ends this abomination of a title reign in the least exciting manner possible. The latter is obviously preferable, but it's a sign of how deep the rot in the division is.

#2 The tag team division

This isn't entirely NXT's fault, as Vince McMahon had a sudden, whimsical urge to call up the champions, give them the worst name change ever, and then send them into catering. So, typical main roster stuff. NXT has managed to make the best of a bad situation by capitalizing on the popularity of the Street Profits and giving them a great title win at TakeOver: XXV.

Yet, beyond the Profits, the division is disappointing. The Forgotten Sons remain as bad an option as they've ever been. The Undisputed Era remain good, and will probably challenge for the titles at TakeOver: Toronto II, but another tag team title reign from them, when they dominated the scene throughout 2018, would feel like a retread. Lorcan and Burch are a good pairing, but need some building.

Beyond that, the division is thin. There's nothing actively bad about it (yet), but it doesn't feel like must-see television.

#3 The main event picture

What's one of the major gripes fans have against main roster booking? The constant rematches, of course. At TakeOver: Toronto II, we're set to get another rematch - Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole, for the third time in as many TakeOvers.

Obviously, there will be nothing wrong with the match itself, but it feels like wheel spinning at this point, as opposed to actual, meaningful storytelling. Charlotte Flair rightly gets a lot of flak for being in the title picture constantly despite her numerous losses. Johnny Gargano feels like he's in much the same role right now, for all his brilliance in those title matches.

Johnny Gargano's constant presence goes beyond his spat with Adam Cole. His feud with Tommaso Ciampa, while brilliant, went on for far too long, and as a result, we missed the proper payoff we should have gotten.

Meanwhile, other stars haven't been given a chance in the main event scene.

While nowhere near as bad as NXT's women's division, Johnny Gargano's constant presence contending for the NXT title has passed its expiration date, and the show would be better served setting up other rivalries. The main title picture has been on instant replay for far too long.