NXT might not be as popular of a weekly show as it was at its peak, but its TakeOver live specials are still must-see events. NXT TakeOver: Orlando was no exception, and now, we already know where and when the next TakeOver will be, as Triple H announced on Twitter that NXT would be heading to Chicago the weekend of Backlash for TakeOver: Chicago on May 20:
...and finally @WWENXT TAKES OVER #NXTChicago on Saturday, May 20th the night before #WWEBacklash. Tickets on sale SATURDAY at 10am CT pic.twitter.com/AuGKtlWTev
— Triple H (@TripleH) April 3, 2017
Backlash is a SmackDown-exclusive WWE pay-per-view airing from Chicago on May 21, so the developmental crew will be following the blue brand around that weekend. It’s fair to speculate that part of the reason the show is happening then is because WWE has plans to move some number of NXT wrestlers to SmackDown now that we’re in a post-WrestleMania 33 world, and this will allow some of those performers to work both shows.
As said, though, that’s just speculation, but the timing would be right for anyone who performed at TakeOver: Orlando, is headed to WWE, and isn’t quite finished telling their stories on Wednesday nights yet.
Does following a main roster brand around for a non-Big Four pay-per-view mean Full Sail TakeOvers are now a thing of the past? Maybe as the touring brand of NXT — and NXT as a whole — continue to evolve, that’s not such a bad thing. Well, assuming you live somewhere besides within the vicinity of Full Sail.