NXT TakeOver 36 comes during a period of significant uncertainty for the brand.
The weeks leading into Sunday’s event have seen main roster call-ups, some baffling booking decisions and surprise releases. Those decisions have left fans wondering what NXT’s role in the WWE ecosystem will be going forward.
NXT has had two often-conflicting purposes: developing talent, while also being a third television brand. It was once purely developmental, existing just to get wrestlers ready to move up to the main roster. That changed when NXT became a centerpiece of the WWE Network after it launched in 2014.