50 Ups & 50 Downs For WWE's Decade: The 2010s
18. The Original NXT
Oooft.
Ignoring the accidentally brilliant NXT Redemption that somehow found a way to parody the parody, this absolute f*cking parody of pro wrestling talent development was effectively the show that permanently gave Triple H the keys to the kingdom. You can practically hear the Titan Tower pitch; "Have you even watched this sh*t nnnnDadddddd, we need a Performance Center!"
Throwing out a bunch of FCW trainees onto national television and proving that most weren't actually ready for it, NXT barely even let them wrestle half the time, instead creating a hybrid wrestling/talent show that worked to exploit the weaknesses rather than the strengths as if to completely subvert Paul Heyman's entire ECW booking philosophy.
Wrestlers stumbled over their words, stumbled over obstacles and stumbled getting over until the sheer farce of it all became the only reason to tune in. Season One itself was so calamitous that it spawned a stable furious with their treatment on the show...but more on those shortly.