10 Insane Things You Missed When You Stopped Watching NXT
3. The Rise Of 2.0
No, not that 2.0; the only thing that rises on NXT 2.0 are the cacks when they get blood in 'em at the sight of those Toxic Attraction stunners, Vic!
It's a very horny show - there is a character on it, Brooks Jensen, whose character is literally "serial masturbator" - but looking at those ratings, it's not exactly turning anybody on, is it?
The general consensus is that NXT "Black and Gold" descended into super-intense parody when the pandemic hit. The logo was more metal than Manowar (and slightly problematic), the gurning Karrion Kross was the top star, and the atmosphere and aesthetic was punishingly bleak in its darkness. In parallel, though, NXT experimented with broad comedy in the form of 'The Way' stable and the top shagger serial killer character Dexter Lumis. Incidentally, it was eventually revealed that his middle name was 'Gaylord' because that is funny, presumably?
You know who did turn people on?
Ever-Rise, AKA AEW's 2.0. Amid an increasingly desperate pursuit of wacky comedy, the tag team embodied amazing WWF Coliseum Video energy in their piss-funny, maniacal backstage promos, in which they claimed that competition was turnin'...them...on!
They developed a cult level of popularity, but, possibly because they were actually funny, they were let go in June 2021.