10 WWE NXT Superstars You Totally Don't Remember
Good luck remembering any of these WWE developmental projects from NXT's past!
NXT replaced FCW as WWE's chief in-house developmental project in 2012. At first, fans were confused. NXT had already existed as a reality show-esque paint job for Tough Enough since 2010, so...what was there to be excited about? That'd change once Triple H got his mitts on the third brand and turned it into one of the hottest products in pro wrestling.
At one point, NXT was vastly superior to Raw or SmackDown in terms of blending simple storytelling with satisfying in-ring action. It was early AEW before that was even a thing, in some respects, and people lapped it up. Names like Sasha Banks, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and more earned their stripes by delivering what a fanbase hungry for alternatives needed.
They went on to become stars on the main roster, but how about those who didn't? You'll be surprised by some of the names you've completely forgotten about since NXT's peak. Brother tag-teams nobody talks about, first-time champs fans never mention, second-generation hopefuls who didn't cut it - they're all here.
There's a lot of buried NXT history to unearth. Try these wrestlers on for size!
10. Bailey Pierce
Don't worry, Seth Rollins isn't the focal point of this entry! Check the fella next to him. That's current TNA and ex-AEW man Ryan Nemeth on the left. He scored a WWE developmental deal in 2011, then debuted on an early episode of NXT TV in June 2012. His role? Backstage interviewer extraordinaire.
Nemeth's WWE-ified name was Bailey Pierce. Yep, another one from the developmental name generator there. Pierce asked the easy questions of emerging stars like Rollins, but would find his way into the ring eventually. Like buses, all of his matches came along at once - Pierce worked three bouts on the same set of NXT tapings in May 2013.
Poor lad must've been knackered, but excited.
Dolph Ziggler/Nic Nemeth's brother didn't really get any higher than that in WWE's system though. He was released in late-May (before some of his taped bouts had aired). Ryan was surely hoping he'd turn the announcer job into something bigger. That kinda happened, but only for a cup of coffee.