According to a new report, the days of NXT running independently within WWE look to be all but over.
The changes to NXT and WWE’s developmental system which began in September 2021 continue to rumble on. In recent weeks a number of backstage figures, who had previously been instrumental within the brand such as William Regal, have been released.
It now appears that these changes are part of further restructuring which will see the NXT creative team report directly to Bruce Prichard and Christine Lubrano, putting them in line with Raw and SmackDown.
The report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, notes that during the years that Triple H headed up the brand, NXT operated in it’s own bubble within the company, however that will now not be the case. Following the departures from the creative team, it will now be led by Johnny Russo. (No relation to former WWE and WCW writer Vince Russo).
Russo, who will report directly to Prichard and Lubrano, joined the company in 2011, working on the creative teams for Raw and SmackDown from 2015-2018 until he was promoted to Senior Creative Writer/Producer. He began working on NXT in August 2019, becoming Lead Writer a year later.
Anthony Golden Jr and Dewey Foley, son of Mick Foley, will remain part of the team. The report states that Foley has been overseeing 205 Live, while Golden Jr joined the company in March 2021.
Following the latest round of departures, a number of people within NXT described the situation as “heart-breaking.” It was also suggested that the release of William Regal in particular had put “fear in the hearts” of employees as many assumed he had a job with the company for life.