>>11115166WWE changed their business model from merely poaching the best indie talents to establishing their own indie brand. Instead of leaving guys to develop a little longer on the indie scene, they now just bring them in on NXT mark contracts. The great pillaging of the NXT 5 (PAC, Balor, KENTA, Owens, Zayn) was the sign that the indie era was ending.
AEW becoming established as a bonafide number 2 company put the final nail in the coffin, as indie wrestlers who were good enough no longer needed to slum it on ROH or PWG and could get national exposure and much bigger paydays for less travel/work/risk. AEW's bar for hiring talent is also much lower than main-brand WWE, meaning even the talents who need 3-4 years of development aren't on the indies as much. It's just pure shitters now with the occasional big name wanting a payday.
