More changes to WWE could be on the way, but only once the company’s deal with Endeavor is finalised.
Back in April it was announced that WWE had entered into an agreement with Endeavor, which will see it merge with UFC. The deal is expected to be completed later in 2023 with a new company being formed, and the Board of Directors made up of a mix of Endeavor and WWE figures.
In recent weeks news on the agreement has gone quiet, although it’s seemingly having an impact on WWE programming.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer discussed plans for main roster stars to continue appearing on NXT, while reiterating Nick Khan’s plans for the show to become a standalone third brand with tapings outside of Orlando.
“The goal, as Nick Khan had said, is to make NXT a third brand and they were very encouraged by last week’s ratings. There is talk of taping television outside of Orlando and running house shows outside of Florida but in smaller venues like NXT did when it toured before the pandemic.”
Interestingly, Meltzer also noted that WWE’s merger with UFC is holding up “major changes” for the company, this includes making changes to Monday Night Raw.
“We were told the merger not being finalized is holding up major changes happening but there is talk of at least exploring major changes for Raw with new ideas when the merger takes place.”
WWE Main Roster Stars To Continue Appearing In NXT
In recent weeks a number of stars from Raw and SmackDown have appeared in NXT, the most high-profile appearance being made by Seth Rollins who defended his World Heavyweight Title against Bron Breakker. More recently, Rhea Ripley dipped back into the developmental brand, to continue the Judgment Day’s storyline with Carmelo Hayes.
In the same report, Meltzer confirmed plans for these moves between the main roster and developmental to continue.