12 Secret FCW Histories Of WWE Superstars
The Stars Of Tomorrow...Yesterday!
A Network profile piece on former WWE developmental brand Florida Championship Wrestling has predictably piqued the interest of those either unaware or only loosely familiar with the process that existed before present day NXT.
Timely thanks to WrestleMania 36's Tampa location, Drew McIntyre's Universal Title shot against Brock Lesnar and The Bella Twins' induction into the Hall Of Fame, The FCW Story is as much to do with yet more effortless WWE synergy as it is telling the true story of a developmental system that was objectively failing before Triple H reimagined it entirely.
It's subsequently yet another paradoxical proposition. Awesome for all it reveals yet awful for the way it attempts to babyface the bad stuff, this list is here to share the stories if you can't stomach the sickly-sweet sentiment.
The feature struggles with the last days of the brand most of all. 'The Game' is both destroyer and saviour as people somehow reframe losing their jobs as being best for business, as if WWE's own success is more vital to the world at large than their income and survival. The wrestlers react with a wry smile when asked to reminisce about the carny practices as if they were training in 1980 instead of 2009.
But at least all the talking heads made it in the end. Had they not, would any of the following little gems ever have made it into the public sphere?
12. Daniel Bryan's Journey
WWE cheekily promoted Daniel Bryan in advertisements for the documentary, drawing scorn for the implication that he was crafted in the Tampa warehouse instead of his years on the independent circuit.
This thankfully wasn't the case - instead the piece replayed footage of a rather-frustrated Bryan Danielson questioning why his years of work weren't classed as "making it". He wasn't long for FCW, but he didn't need to be.