NXT is discussing a return to a taped format, possibly as early as after next week’s TakeOver 36.
Our Bryan Alvarez tweeted the news today and Fightful Select also reported the news. Our Dave Meltzer said the idea was discussed, but for now, it isn’t happening.
Whether or not the return to a taped format is temporary or a more permanent measure is unclear. Meltzer said that there is “lots of talk about NXT no longer airing live and doing tapings ahead of time as a cost-cutting measure.”
Of late, some episodes of NXT have been taped, while others have aired live. The show was also temporarily bumped to SyFy as the USA Network featured coverage of the Olympics in Tokyo.
NXT is coming off its best viewership numbers in three months with last week’s show drawing 751,000 viewers on USA. That was the highest total viewer count since the May 4 edition of the show.
NXT TakeOver 36 airs Sunday, August 22, with Karrion Kross defending the NXT Championship against Samoa Joe as the main event.