The End of NXT Viewership: Rebooking Survivor Series 2019.

WWE has wisely removed the replay of NXT Takeover from being on the Hulu feed. I say wisely because, before AEW, that was how I watched those shows. Why would I fund a company that many feel is responsible for three deaths due to their lack of concussion care and will gladly take blood money from Saudi Arabia if I could watch their best shows for free (well, at least $2 cheaper alongside "The Handsmaid's Tale"?

For someone who finds New York to be where quality goes to die, watching a Takeover on a Sunday was awesome. If WWE was going to counter program against themselves, what kind of contrarian would I be if I did not ignore Vince McMahon trying to fuel Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns's egos?

As Wrestletalk stated in their review for NXT Takeover Wargames 3, the refreshing thing about a NXT's Women's first (like the Wargames's match this year) is that it just feels like what women's wrestling should be, just wrestling. So, watching Takeover instead of Summer Slam means I did not have to deal with the bullshit that is the Women's Evolution of Stephanie McMahons.

NXT offered a lot for those fed up with the tired vision of Vince McMahon. It is a pity that fans like me should not have time for it.

How much wrestling do you expect me to watch in one night? When you have competition, and a side in the competition, I am not going to change the channel during a commercial break. If you work a relatively uneventful job like me, you need stuff to read. After reading DC Black's "Harleen: Number 1", and considering how the ultimate fictional empath can become a murderous malcontent, you best believe the NXT spoilers may best for someone with codependency issues.

When you look at my other wrestling viewership, there is no time for replays anyhow. "NWA Powerrr" results are deemed not as newsworthy as those of the competitors, so I am free to watch (or binge) it at my own leisure (typically on Monday between 7 pm CST and 9 pm CST). Tuesdays are when the extra hour NXT lacks comes on YouTube. Do I need to mention these are free (sorry Impact, ROH, WOW and World of Sport on Statium)?

And I have the entire NJPW library at my finger tips, and I got plenty of catching up to do there. I am only going to devote 999 a month to one service. HBO Max getting AEW would be ideal.

Is there a way for NXT to win me back? Yes. Right now, it is all about match ups. Sorry Hunter, I get around to indie shows, so I have seen Dominik Dijakovic and Keith Lee in its purest form in person. Give me Chris Hero over Kassius Ohno any day. That reminds me of more thinks in my DVD collection that I need to get caught up on. As long as I am with a girl who still cannot keep the members of The Elite straight, I have enough classic NXT material to last a lifetime.

AEW is currently the fresher product and they still have lacked bouts I would skip. Once we get there...if we get there...I may start watching Xfinity 939 on Wednesday. WWE's only other way to get my attention is to give the minority owner of Hulu a break and put the Takeovers back on the service or for them to sign away AEW talent. At least we would have a war. On the subject of warfare.

See the conclusion to this blog series at Rip 'Em System Tumblr.