The WWE Performance Center currently has nearly 100 wrestlers either learning or honing the craft. WWE is constantly recruiting from all over the world, and the Performance Center has always been meant as a way to allow wrestlers to train, work on their in-ring and microphone skills and characters, and also prepare them to wrestle for television, which is a skill in and of itself. While a lot of experienced wrestlers have spent time learning at the Performance Center, a good amount of NXT and WWE Superstars have been complete PC creations.
One of the biggest knocks on the Performance Center — a criticism that predates the Center, actually — is that hardcore fans believe the “official” WWE training results in a homogeneity among wrestlers. This is a drum that fans have been beating since the phrase “WWE main event style” became a thing. While the criticism might have been a lot more appropriate during the abs-trunks-and-tribal-tattoos phase of the early- to mid-aughts, the talking point persists.
Triple H, who oversees the Performance Center and NXT, understandably disagrees with detractors of the Performance Center style or method or what have you. As he explained to Sports Illustrated:
“The misconception is always the same, and it’s absolutely wrong,” said Levesque. “We are looking to make our talent as diverse as possible. People say everyone is wearing the same thing and training the same way. Yet they are not training the same way. We are grouping people together to work on building certain skills. The core of what we do is the same – yes, you have to learn the same skills, techniques, and foundation when you start. Then we set you up with people to develop your characters. We want the talent to develop their character, and our job is to help harness the character. We want them, every single one of them, to be unique and have their own feel.
“Yes, we are all wearing the same WWE gear. That is because, when you’re here, we’re all the same. No one is above anybody else, and we’re all here to learn. We are a team and a family. What we do in the WWE is a partnership -– it’s a partnership with the guy across from you, and a partnership with everybody here. One of the pieces of the Performance Center that makes me so proud is when somebody succeeds here, the whole place goes nuts for them. They’re all here to help each other succeed. When you can build that type of climate, it shows our culture within this place is right to develop and to cultivate the best talent possible.”
Not to play H’s advocate or anything, but a smattering of people who have been through the Performance Center include Enzo Amore, the Authors of Pain, Heavy Machinery, all Four Horsewomen, three-quarters of SAnitY, the Revival, Tye Dillinger, and a bunch more. Yeah, there are definitely wrestlers that lack individuality here and there, but that’s always been true of certain wrestlers in the modern era (see the aforementioned abs-and-trunks era).
Anyway, my basic point is that NXT is finally getting great again, so let’s just try to enjoy it.
