I tune in to NXT every week to watch WWE’s rising stars in action. Just like Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown, I can enjoy NXT without needing a cable or satellite subscription.
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Table Of Contents
In 2010, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) launched NXT, which originally followed a reality show format. The show was used to highlight young performers who they thought could be future stars within the company.
Today, the show follows a more traditional format in which performers compete in the ring over the course of a two-hour show. Let’s take a closer look at the history of NXT, what you can expect if you attend an NXT taping, and where you can watch it if you can’t attend live.
What Is WWE NXT?
NXT is considered by some to be WWE’s third main brand. However, it usually features men and women who the company believes need more time in the ring before they can perform on Raw or Smackdown.
Current top stars such as Johnny Gargano, Seth Rollins, Big E, and Kevin Owens have spent time in NXT, and all four of these men have spent time as NXT‘s champion. The current NXT champion is Tommaso Ciampa, who won the belt in September 2021.
If you attend NXT live, you will likely be able to see several episodes of the show at once. This is because the brand usually tapes a month of content at each event. In addition, you may also be able to witness matches that won’t be televised, and these matches generally serve as tryouts for prospective talent that have yet to be signed by the company.
Other Pro Wrestling Shows
The main difference between NXT and the other two WWE brands is that it primarily serves as a developmental forum. Shows tend to occur in smaller venues. And they also serve as a showcase for wrestlers who have built their brands outside of WWE and may be less familiar to those who primarily watch Raw or Smackdown.
NXT is different from programming produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW) because AEW presents itself as an actual sport as opposed to sports entertainment. Furthermore, shows such as Rampage and Dynamite will generally feature wrestlers on AEW’s core roster as opposed to those who need time to develop.
Where and When to Watch NXT
NXT is currently available to watch live on USA every Tuesday night at local time. You can watch archived episodes of NXT on Hulu and WWE Network on Peacock.
How to Stream NXT Live
Since WWE NXT airs on USA Network, it is available on most streaming services that offer NBCUniversal channels.
FuboTV
USA is available in the FuboTV Pro plan, which costs $79.99/month. It also comes with Fox so you will be able to watch all the WWE shows. This is part of a 110+ channel lineup that includes a lot of sports including ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2, NFL Network, several channels from beIN Sports and TUDN, and more.
FuboTV comes with unlimited cloud DVR and streaming on up to 10 devices at once.
Get all the information in our FuboTV review.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV Now) makes USA available to customers who purchase any of its four main service packages. The least expensive package (Entertainment) is $86.99/month and comes with 75+ channels. This also includes Fox, FS1, TNT, and TBS so you can watch all the WWE and AEW shows live.
You get unlimited cloud DVR storage and unlimited simultaneous TVs/devices to watch on at home and on the road.
See our DIRECTV STREAM review for more details.
Sling TV
Sling TV offers great value. With the Sling Blue plan for $40.00/month, you’ll get USA, Fox, FS1, TBS, and TNT as part of a 40+ live channel lineup. Sling also offers many add-ons to customize your plan with more channels. And you can even integrate a local antenna with an AirTV device.
The Blue plan comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR and streaming on up to three devices simultaneously.
Learn more in our Sling TV review.
Hulu + Live TV
Hulu + Live TV provides 85+ live TV channels including USA Network for $82.99/month. This is on top of Hulu’s outstanding on-demand library as well as Disney+ and ESPN+. It also includes Fox, FS1, TNT, and TBS, so you will be able to catch all the WWE shows as well as the AEW ones.
The base Hulu Live plan also comes with unlimited cloud DVR and 9 months of storage and the ability to stream on up to two devices at one time.
For more information, see our Hulu + Live TV review.
Other Options
YouTube TV has USA and most other national networks that carry wrestling content live throughout the week. Its plan is similar to Hulu + Live TV and costs $72.99/month.
Alternatively, you can use the USA app to stream NXT and other WWE shows on most of your devices, but you will need a streaming service subscription to access it.
How to Stream NXT On-Demand
If you don’t mind waiting, there are a couple of inexpensive options to watch NXT on-demand.
Hulu
Most popular TV shows are available with the standard on-demand Hulu plan. This is true of the three WWE shows: NXT, Raw, and SmackDown. In fact, new episodes are available the day after they air.
You can get Hulu on-demand for $7.99/month or $14.99/month if you don’t want commercial interruptions.
Check out our Hulu review for details.
Peacock
Peacock is NBC’s streaming service. With it, you can watch most episodes of NXT 30 days after their original air dates. Much of Peacock’s library is available for free. But the WWE shows are only available with their paid plans. These cost $7.99/month or $13.99/month without ads.
See our NBC Peacock review for details.
Devices and TVs to Live Stream NXT
To get the full NXT experience, you need the right device. All the streaming services here support most of what’s in use (and probably what you already own).
All the live TV streaming services support Samsung smart TVs.
Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and FuboTV also support smart TVs from LG, Vizio, and those that are Android TV-powered.
You can use the popular “stick” devices with all the services: Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku. And you can use Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
These devices can be used to cast to your TV using the Chromecast standard.
Any device with a standard web browser can be used to watch NXT. If you are using a laptop or similar device, you can even display it on your TV using an HDMI cable.
Other than with DIRECTV STREAM, you can view NXT on the Xbox One. Hulu supports PlayStation and Nintendo Switch. And Sling TV supports Oculus.
These are just the most popular devices. See the individual streaming services for a complete list of supported devices.
Wrapping Up
WWE NXT is generally home to younger and less experienced performers who are vying to become major stars on Raw or Smackdown in the future. While some performers have made a name for themselves on NXT itself, it is generally where individuals go to hone their skills and develop their characters.
You can watch the stars of the future live on USA Network via Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, and DIRECTV STREAM. Or you can watch them later with Hulu or Peacock. There’s no reason to wait.
FAQs
Does WWE consider NXT to be the company’s third brand?
In September 2019, NXT was officially upgraded to the company’s third brand alongside Raw and Smackdown. However, WWE has recently rebranded the show to once again be a developmental property. This means that NXT stars are unlikely to appear on Raw or Smackdown unless they are officially added to either show’s roster.
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My expertise in sports coverage, particularly for out-of-market games and regional sports networks, stems from years of hands-on experience as an early adopter of streaming services and my work addressing fans' viewing challenges. As a longtime cord-cutter and subscriber to multiple streaming platforms, I combine my technical knowledge with practical user experience, making me a leading expert in the field of sports streaming and entertainment technology.
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