According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the vast majority of talent being signed to WWE NXT are now being asked to agree to five-year deals. In the past, it was always three years and those five years are a lifetime in the career of a wrestler.
Apparently, WWE is trying to lock talents in for as long as possible before they can start thinking about what it would be like to be a free agent. It also avoids NXT Superstars taking advantage of being trained up by WWE for three years before leaving for a company like All Elite Wrestling. It's an interesting approach and one that may or may not pay off for them.
WWE has been more aggressive than normal over the past year when it comes to signing talents and it's said that they'll continue signing new talents from the indies and sports world with AEW out there looking to scoop up as much talent as possible