WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T Assesses Impact Of NXT Moving To The CW

With the October 1 debut of "WWE NXT" on the CW network fast-approaching, surprise visitors are on the uptick, with The Bloodline showing up from "SmackDown" and TNA's Jordynne Grace, Hammerstone, and Rosemary appearing most recently. A stacked card for that debut show has also started to materialize, with CM Punk announced for the CW launch in his hometown of Chicago, as well as next week's episode to begin the hype. Two-time WWE Hall of Famer and current "NXT" color commentator Booker T said on his "Hall of Fame" podcast that there's no doubting the stock has already raised and the pressure is on for superstars to perform.

In addition to the importance of every show being elevated, Booker T noted the extra eyes that will surely be on the product. "It's gonna [bring] a whole lot more criticism if you're not out there really, really performing at a certain level with Twitter and all that stuff now," he said. "You're gonna be put out there and exposed to a lot more fans [and] it's gonna be a sink or swim mentality." An old adage, with that in mind, resonates with Booker, who added, "For me, there again, cream rises to the top."

With his in-ring career largely in the rear view (despite Trick Williams' previous wishes to the contrary), Booker is equal parts excited and envious of the opportunity in the current WWE developmental landscape, feeling like it's an environment in which he, too, could have flourished. "This is huge," Booker said. "I'm jealous in so many ways. I could see myself coming up in an NXT system when I first got into the business and how great that would have been to actually have that kind of springboard into the next level. Man, it would have been awesome."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Hall of Fame" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.