In 2012, NXT was relaunched as a separate brand and replaced the now-defunct Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) as WWE's developmental territory.

Primarily holding its events in the Orlando, Florida area since its relaunch, the brand would be expanded upon over time, having embarked on national and international tours.

Wrestling critics and fans came to view NXT as its own distinct entity during this period, with the brand's shows being praised for their high-quality matches[4][5] and storylines.

[6][7] In September 2019, NXT's weekly television series was expanded to a two-hour format and moved to USA Network.

The brand faced direct Nielsen ratings competition from All Elite Wrestling's flagship show, Dynamite, during this period as part of the "Wednesday Night Wars".

[25] On October 31, 2019, it was announced that NXT would take part in that year's Survivor Series, competing directly against Raw and SmackDown.

[34] After 12 NXT wrestlers were released from their contracts that August, Dave Scherer and Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Insider reported there had been internal talks of major changes to the brand, such as: "a new logo, new lighting, a focus on younger talents and a different format to the TV shows.

"[35] Dave Meltzer reported that NXT would likely go back to its developmental roots, with "talent that are [sic] younger, bigger and that could someday main event at WrestleMania".

[36] WWE President Nick Khan subsequently confirmed that NXT would undergo a "complete revamp" overseen by Levesque.

[45][46] This fractured further in January 2022, several backstage workers were released, most of them known for their work with Levesque, including NXT General Manager William Regal and writer Ryan Katz.

These crossovers came as part of efforts to increase the profile of NXT's talent, and evaluate their performances with members of WWE's main roster.

[52][53] In 2024, WWE began a wider talent exchange with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA).

Several TNA wrestlers would make appearances on NXT's weekly television series and livestreaming events and vice versa.

A multi-year partnership between Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) and WWE was officially announced on January 16, 2025.

Regular episodes ran for one-hour and aired on tape delay, while live NXT TakeOver events were produced periodically.