NXT Picked A Terrible Place to Have a Show in Richmond

I attended the NXT show in Richmond, Va. The show was held at the Carpenter Theatre downtown. The venue is beautiful on the inside with fascinating sculptures, lighting, and molding. It’d be a great place to see Shakespeare or a concert. It is not acceptable for a wrestling show.

Take a look. What do you notice? There’s nowhere to put the ring except ON the stage. That means blocking the ring from view for a lot of the audience.

Something I addressed in a Facebook Live at intermission.

If WWE wants to build NXT into its own brand and build a nationwide audience, it has to do a better job of venue selection. Hosting shows where nearly every fan has an obstructed view is not acceptable. The lack of a large crowd proves that fans know this, and aren’t going to pay $50 to barely be able to see a match. There are several college basketball gyms in Richmond which the WWE could have used. They wouldn’t be abandoning their “punk rock” vibe by holding events in a slightly larger and traditional arena.

I hope Trips and the team learn from their mistakes.

I enjoyed the show despite this. The wrestling was very good. It was a good show of older and fresh NXT talent. Mandy Rose, Lars Sullivan, Oney Lorcan, and The Velveteen Dream are all going to be massive stars. Established wrestlers Roderick Strong, Andrade Almas, Aleister Black, Champion Bobby Roode, and Asuka all proved why they’re on top of the brand.

Watch my full review of the 2nd half of the show below.

Have you attended an NXT show? Share your thoughts.