NXT TakeOver Brooklyn Name Change? NXT / EVOLVE Update

NXT TakeOver

Next year’s NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn might be called NXT TakeOver: New York instead.

TakeOver will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania weekend next year, but the WrestleMania travel packages page on WWE.com currently lists it as “NXT Takeover: New York.” There’s no indication yet that that will be the official name though.

There will be no TakeOver in Brooklyn during SummerSlam weekend next year for the first time in four years, since SummerSlam will be moving to Toronto next year.

NXT/EVOLVE Update

As mentioned, members of the NXT roster captured two EVOLVE championships at last night’s EVOLVE 114 show in Ybor City, FL, with Fabian Aichner becoming the new EVOLVE Champion and the Street Profits becoming the new EVOLVE Tag Team Champions.

Other NXT wrestlers, including Jessie Elaban, Alexander Jaoude, Cezar Bononi and Dan Matha also appeared on the show.

The head of EVOLVE, Gabe Sapolsky, currently works for NXT and the idea is obviously to continue to use EVOLVE as a farm system for NXT/WWE. NXT wrestlers appearing on future EVOLVE shows is the plan going forward, according to PWInsider.

The idea is that there are so many wrestlers signed to NXT and at the Performance Center that even NXT house shows are often not enough to give everyone a spot. EVOLVE will give them more of a shot to wrestle in front of live crowds and more of a spotlight on the “indie scene.”

EVOLVE obviously benefits by having WWE promote their shows, and sometimes getting NXT wrestlers who are big draws, like Velveteen Dream or Adam Cole.

It’s also possible that WWE may have rights to some (or even all) of EVOLVE’s video library as part of a deal between the companies, PWInsider speculated. EVOLVE has long been rumored to possibly eventually be part of the WWE Network.