The Best Match From Every 2021 WWE PPV

All great things must come to an end, and evidently that includes NXT's Black and Gold Era.

In fairness to the new class of talent in NXT 2.0, many are coming into their own, and that's thanks in no small part to their star-making performances during Black and Gold's final stand in December.'Old Guard vs. New Guard' was laced throughout the evening with mainstays like Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez, Cameron Grimes and Roderick Strong picking up victories over the fresh blood. The headline was loud and clear from the start, though:

"Out with the old, in with the new."

Trusted workhorse Kyle O'Reilly took his final bow in an underwhelming match with partner Von Wagner against defending champions Imperium. Meanwhile, an emotionally-charged main event was punctuated Johnny Gargano, the heart and soul of the old NXT, entering WarGames to his old theme, "Rebel Heart" one final time.

Despite Bron Breakker's comically long but valiant struggle with a set of bolt cutters upon his attempted entry, everyone on Team 2.0 shone brightly against their predecessors. Tony D'Angelo looked menacing in the first of many clashes with Pete Dunne. Grayson Waller had the flashbulb moment with a stunning elbow drop from the top of the cage through a table to LA Knight. Carmelo Hayes got to be the despicable villain who disrupted certain victory for Gargano and Breakker would score the deciding fall on Tommaso Ciampa before dethroning the NXT Champion a month later.

The future has arrived. Hopefully that doesn't mean jettisoning the past and present.