WWE Possibly Had No Real Plans to Start Up NXT Europe Brand

WWE has a lot of plans for their company, but not all of them can come to fruition. Although they did announce intentions of opening a European branch of NXT years ago, those plans have stalled. Now, it doesn’t look likely that will happen any time soon.

Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Jim Smallman, who was the former owner of Progress and a key figure in the NXT UK division, has returned to England after resigning from the NXT creative team. Smallman was working with NXT in the United States after the shutdown of NXT UK, but now he has gone back home.

It was also reported that NXT Europe, which was initially planned to launch in the spring of 2023 and then plans shifted to 2024, appears to have no momentum at all right now. There has been no mention of the project recently, and no updates suggest it is moving forward. It was also noted in August that it appears that plans for NXT Europe were probably abandoned at this point, as the brand is no longer a priority.

It was also mentioned that discussions about creating new NXT branches internationally have not resulted in any concrete plans. There are no rumors or indications that new initiatives are in development.

Although NXT is a global brand at this point, thanks to the tireless work that Shawn Michaels and his crew have put into revamping the product, there doesn’t seem to be any intention of branching off at this time.

The announcement of NXT Europe was noted to have possibly been a public relations move. WWE may have framed it as a way to pivot from NXT UK’s closure without labeling it a failure, and many fans were excited about the idea of NXT Europe. Then mass layoffs from NXT UK went down, and except for a few talents moved to Florida, the brand is now defunct, and so is any intention of reviving the idea.