Colby Applegate is giving fans a rare look behind the curtain at how WWE NXT comes together each week — and the process is far more demanding than many realize.
Applegate, who was recently promoted to the NXT writing team, broke down the full weekly schedule behind the brand’s creative operation. According to him, the process begins every Wednesday with marathon creative meetings focused on building the next episode.
“(The writers) come in on Wednesday and that is our primary creative day where we just go through all our stories and start putting the script together for the following week… We usually spend eight to nine hours doing that.”
The workload continues into Thursday, where the team finishes the script while also planning future storylines.
“Then we come in on Thursday… finish the script, start looking at future stories, and start planning for the next week.”
By Friday, attention turns toward individual segments and production details.
“We write our segments and stuff on Fridays…”
Monday then becomes a full pre-production day involving final reviews, recordings, and last-minute changes before cameras roll.
“Monday we come in and it’s kind of our pre-production day… it’s like a table read. Then we make sure we record everything, make any last-minute changes.”
From there, Tuesday is entirely dedicated to filming backstage material and preparing for the live broadcast.
“Tuesday is show day where we just spend all day filming our backstage segments… then the show goes live at 8 PM Eastern on the CW.”
After that, the cycle immediately begins again.
“…and we do it all over again the next week.”
Applegate also stressed that writing in WWE requires flexibility and collaboration rather than personal attachment to ideas.
“Living with the idea that your writing will get changed… it’s a team effort… you can’t be egotistical about it.”
The insight highlights just how much coordination goes into producing a weekly wrestling show. From long creative meetings to rewrites and production adjustments, the process is constant, with many ideas evolving multiple times before fans ever see them on television.
It also reinforces how collaborative WWE’s system really is. Writers, producers, talent, and executives all shape the final product, meaning scripts are rarely static. In an environment where timing, crowd reactions, and performer input can instantly change direction, adaptability becomes just as important as creativity.
