The wrestling industry is buzzing about the NXT Rookies’ invasion on WWE RAW, and a number of sources are tracing happiness all the way to the top of WWE.
F4WOnline.com’s Bryan Alvarez, for instance, wrote in this week’s F4W newsletter that officials as senior as Vince McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Michael Hayes were excited about how the angle played out RAW. Top officials were also satisfied with the Daniel Bryan-Michael Cole storyline, while also recognizing the effectiveness of the “improv” segment last week in which the WWE Pros discussed Wade Barrett’s impending victory to fill time.
Fan feedback has also been immensely positive, with many who were in the building live comparing the feel to that of the early nWo angles in WCW. Regarding the crowd response, however, reader Alfonso Marimon of ForceofWrestling used the word “dead” describe the reaction for the entire three hour show, suggesting that the angle could have been even hotter with a different audience.
— On the subject of potential WWE breakout stars, F4WOnline.com reported that it was John Cena himself who went to bat for Evan Bourne ahead of last Monday’s “moment” for the wrestler. Cena used his influence to convince management that it was wasting a huge opportunity in not pushing the wrestler, and it resulted in him getting main-event exposure on the show.
Sources have also said that pushing a smaller wrestler like Bourne will assist in giving NXT names like Daniel Bryan, Kaval and Justin Gabriel more credibility with a fanbase that has largely been conditioned to think bigger is better.
— Cena, who has become a very active Twitter user, has yet to offer a response to the NXT storyline.