NXT (WWE brand)

NXT is a developmental brand of the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, serving as a training ground for wrestlers before they move to WWE's main roster on either Raw or SmackDown. Introduced on February 23, 2010, NXT features a separate roster of wrestlers who primarily appear on the brand's weekly television program, NXT. Unlike Raw and SmackDown, which are affected by WWE's brand extension, NXT operates as a developmental system regardless of whether a brand split is in effect.

In its original incarnation, NXT was a reality-based television show in which rookies competed to become a star in WWE. In 2012, NXT was relaunched as a separate brand and replaced the now-defunct Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) as WWE's developmental territory. Primarily holding its events in the Orlando, Florida area since its relaunch, the brand would be expanded upon over time, having embarked on national and international tours. Wrestling critics and fans came to view NXT as its own distinct entity during this period, with the brand's shows being praised for their high-quality matches and storylines. It is also praised for its increased focus on women's wrestling, as its women are presented as genuine wrestlers, eventually giving way to the WWE Women's Evolution.

In September 2019, NXT's weekly television series was expanded to a two-hour format and moved to USA Network. The brand faced direct Nielsen ratings competition from All Elite Wrestling's flagship show, Dynamite, during this period as part of the "Wednesday Night Wars". In April 2021, NXT's television series moved to Tuesday nights, and the brand would relaunch under the "NXT 2.0" banner later that September, reinstituting its original function as a developmental brand. A year later, the brand would revert to its original "NXT" name.

In addition to NXT's main television program, the brand's wrestlers may also appear on the supplementary show, Evolve, the main program of NXT's subsidiary brand Evolve. Some NXT wrestlers also occasionally appear on Raw's supplementary program, Main Event, typically when they are in consideration to being promoted to the main roster, and on TNA Impact! due to the working relationship with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) that began in 2024. From 2014 to 2021, the brand held its major events under the NXT TakeOver series, but this event series was discontinued with the rebranding to NXT 2.0. WWE also operated a subsidiary brand under NXT called NXT UK, which was based in and produced for wrestlers in the United Kingdom; the brand is currently on hiatus and will relaunch at a later time as NXT Europe to become a Pan-European brand. Another subsidiary brand, 205 Live, existed under NXT from 2019 until 2022 when 205 Live was dissolved.