10 Forgotten Hidden Gems From WWE NXT
Developmentally speaking, these matches are seriously underrated!
NXT TakeOver has hosted countless classic contests since the show's inception in 2014, and the quarterly live specials are always among the most exciting events of the year for WWE/NXT fans. At the end of the day, however, NXT is still very much WWE's developmental system. Therefore, most of the matches that take place on the weekly television show on Wednesday nights are designed to get certain up-and-comers over, not to light the world on fire.
But fans tend to forget that NXT existed long before it began airing weekly on WWE Network, and in that time period from mid-2012 to early 2014, a number of great matches occurred. Of course, everyone is aware of the tremendous 2-out-of-3 Falls match between Sami Zayn and Cesaro from August 2013, but there are plenty of other remarkable matches that typically don't get the credit they deserve.
Before NXT evolved into what it is today where almost everyone is considered a draw for the Full Sail University faithful, members of the main roster would occasionally appear on the NXT television show to bring new fans to the arena. More often than not, they would mix it up with the talent of tomorrow and then some pretty awesome matches would ensue.
If you weren't watching NXT before it was “cool” to do so, you would be wise to seek out these ten hidden gems from NXT's early archives.
10. AJ Lee Vs. Bayley - August 21, 2013
Prior to her abrupt retirement from the ring in April 2015, it was apparent AJ Lee was high on the talent of tomorrow, the up-and-coming athletes down in developmental at that time. She specifically named Bayley as a potential future winner of the Diva of the Year Slammy Award that prior December and even wore one of Bayley's signature shirts in her final match on Raw the night after WrestleMania 31.
Similar to Bayley, AJ had roots in NXT when it was an atrocious competition show and not the foundation for the future it is today. She was a part of the infamous third season of the program and thus she entered the WWE at a distinct disadvantage. Despite that, she went on to overcome the odds, prove the naysayers wrong and become one of the greatest women's wrestlers the then-Divas division had seen in years.
During her record-setting reign as Divas champion, AJ returned to her roots in NXT and faced off against Bayley in one of the lovable hugger's first few televised matches on the brand. The match wasn't much more than a standard squash for the champ, though it was fun while it lasted and merely a small taste of what they would be capable of producing together all these years later.