Report: Why WWE NXT Left Full Sail University Revealed

Ahead of NXT TakeOver: 31, WWE announced the event would take place at the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida. The WWE Performance was "gutted" to accommodate the changes and the black and gold brand will use the redesigned training facility going forward.

Some were curious as to why the company decided to leave Full Sail University, and Raj Giri of WrestlingInc. reported there were a number of reasons behind the decision.

Firstly, WWE wanted to have fans in attendance at NXT tapings, something which Full Sail would not allow for the foreseeable future. There had been an acknowledgement within the company that NXT needed a refresh as the brand has continued to lag behind AEW: Dynamite in the ratings and they believe a new set and live fans will help with the rejuvenation. According to Giri, WWE will look to increase capacity in the coming months with the hope that they can have fans sitting in stands by the start of 2021. 

Another factor behind the decision was WWE wanted to minimise the risk of COVID-19 exposure. Full Sail partially re-opened to in-student learning recently and NXT has previously used some of the conference rooms on campus and would sometimes come into contact with students. The black and gold brand is also no longer using Full Sail students during tapings and episodes have been produced on a closed set throughout the pandemic.

WWE, therefore, decided to move to the recently renovated Performance Center and NXT programming will air from the Capitol Wrestling Center for the foreseeable future.