NXT on USA Network, what could this mean?

WWE NXT will be on the USA Network during WWE week, on December 13th. Whether this is a one off, a plan to become a weekly piece of USA Network programming or testing the waters, it's got me thinking about what this could mean for NXT and WWE as a whole.

NXT has been one of the most valuable pieces of the WWE puzzle for the past few years. Maybe not in terms of the generation of cold hard cash, but in terms of drawing in viewers.

I personally dip in and out of RAW and Smackdown, watching the segments that I have interest in. With NXT, I watch the whole thing without skipping a second. We have watched the growth of the likes of Finn Balor, Asuka, Samoa Joe, Bobby Roode (thanks to amazing entrance music) and Shinsuke Nakamura who all came in with big resumes. They conquered NXT and then moved on to the main roster and this has left me having more interest in RAW and Smackdown, at least in the short term.

Asuka has recently moved to the main roster with much fanfare

So what are the possibilities here?

The first is that it's a one off to add to WWE Week on USA Network. The programme is edited, and available for USA Network to preview and put on television filling up an hour. It doesn't cost them or WWE anything more to do this, nor USA Network.

The second is that it's a tester. How does their audience react to it? If it's hugely positive then why wouldn't USA make a play for getting NXT on their network every week? The only hurdle for me is WWE wanting to protect their most valuable asset on the WWE Network.

The third is that this is step one of a plan to move NXT to the mainstream. Whether it's a true third brand or still development, WWE see's value in putting more people in the top of the NXT funnel hoping to attract them back into main roster programming as their favourite development stars take the leap.

In reality it's probably the first scenario. It's some easy to put on programming in a Festival of WWE for the USA Network. However there could be some of scenario two in their. If there's an overly positive response, why not look to take it further? This could one day mean scenario three is a reality. The growth possibilities for NXT seem endless, as even in their 'down periods' it still produces some of the most engaging content WWE creates.

WWE NXT's home at Full Sail University

The worry for me is NXT gets taken on the road one day. The cost of putting on live shows is not small, and it would likely be placed with RAW or Smackdown... and we know how that works out for 205 Live? Unengaged live audiences and poor content. I hope that if anything it drags some more people onto WWE Network to see more of NXT, making it far too valuable for them to let out of the safe confines of a $9.99 world.