NXT
In honor of NXT’s six year anniversary, WWE.com posted an oral history of the show starting from the beginning, featuring some of the names who got their WWE starts on the show and their WWE Superstar ‘Pros’.
The article features quotes from Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, AJ Lee, Chris Jericho, The Miz and many more; you can read a few excerpts below:
Wade Barrett’s original thoughts on the NXT show:
When I first heard the idea I didn’t like it. I thought it was like a “Total Divas” kind of reality show. I thought it was gonna be a bunch of us living outside the ring and being followed around, which I really didn’t like at all. But once I realized it was a competition based on in-ring talent and in-ring talent only, I got a lot more comfortable with it. That’s when I sized up the opposition and really felt confident of winning.
AJ Lee on the opportunity provided by NXT:
It was this giant opportunity for us. We were down in [Florida Championship Wrestling] for years and waiting for that break. We were kind of iffy about it because you don’t want to have to continue to prove yourself. You want to just make it on the road and you’re there. The idea of fighting and clawing and scratching in Developmental for years and then continuing to have to do that and fight and scratch and compete was not the easiest thing in the world.
Chris Jericho on who season one’s breakout stars would be:
For me, Barrett and Bryan were the two that I knew could be huge stars. Barrett is still working on it, but could easily, easily, easily be there. Bryan is already there. The first time he had a mic live without a net, he came up with something like, “You will tap out” or “I’m gonna make you tap out,” so he almost had a catchphrase right off the bat. He was good thinking on his feet, and he didn’t give a crap. He was gonna do his thing no matter what.
Naomi comments on the earlier seasons of NXT compared to the current product:
It definitely helped me out a lot. It was a way for me to debut, a way for the audience to get to know who I was. I was able to showcase my athletic ability. I was very new at the time, but I think it was a great starting point for all of us. I still have people coming up to me and asking me about things from NXT that I would rather forget. But that’s awesome, because that’s how people remember me.
Shane McMahon
WWE posted the following video called “What You Need To Know About Shane McMahon” in honor of his WWE return:
