10 Times NXT Black & Gold Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING

WWE through the 2010s could be pretty rough watching.

It wasn't without its bright sparks, of course - the Shield, the Wyatt Family, the List of Jericho - but it was also an era of never-ending repeats and disappointments. "Keep Roman Reigns Strong" was the mantra through the second half of the decade, against the interest of the diehard wrestling fan, making sure that the main event picture of WWE - which is supposed to be the biggest attraction - was a malaise of tired booking and wilful ignorance.

And, of course, lest you forget that WWE didn't even have any major competition in America during this time. Impact was struggling with its identity and AEW didn't exist until 2019. The alternative to Raw and Smackdown booking The Authority's Big Show and Kane against two equally bland babyfaces every week was actually WWE's developmental.

NXT itself has a wild and weird history, of course, but it found itself when it realised it could provide something fans felt was missing. The Black and Gold, from 2014 until it's eventual colourful rebrand in 2021, was the punk rock to the main roster's family-friendly radio. It was cooler, it was edgier, and it had something to prove.

And it proved over and over again that it was often the best thing WWE had on its programming.

SummerSlam 2015 was actually pretty solid, from an entertainment perspective. The booking decisions? Less great, with the Undertaker needlessly getting his win back a year and a half after Lesnar broke the streak and talk show host Jon Stewart getting inexplicably involved in Cena versus Rollins.

Even as a show that most agreed was decent enough though, NXT had made numerous huge statements at TakeOver Brooklyn the night before that would put it above SummerSlam quite easily. How does a match-of-the-decade contender from two young up-stars called Sasha Banks and Bayley grab you?

Because The Boss had already been moved to the "big time", Bayley's championship victory was inevitable - but no less impactful. In some ways, it was a true of "end of an era" moment and the beginning of something new as very soon WWE would have to start doing more than the bare minimum with their women's division. After all, SummerSlam hadn't even booked a women's title match and instead had three arbitrary teams duking it out for an underwhelming 15 minutes.

Brooklyn also saw an incredible ladder match main event between Owens and Balor, the debut of Apollo Crews and, incredibly, featured Jushin Thunder Liger in his only WWE match. It's no wonder Brooklyn became a second-home for the brand.