WWE NXT star and the current NXT champion Carmelo Hayes who is also a former three times NXT North American champion recently looked back at the black and gold era of the NXT and discussed how it is being romanticized by the fans. He also discussed the decline of the NXT after the covid-19 pandemic.
When the NXT was introduced among the WWE fans it was more of a talent hunt competition similar to the Tough Enough competition of WWE. Later in 2012, WWE decided to make the NXT their permanent development territory and they stopped producing the Florida Championship Wrestling which was the previous development territory of the promotion.
Carmelo Hayes Discusses The “Romanticizing” Of NXT Black And Gold Era, “It Was Great And Awesome”
For nearly a decade, the NXT did not have a big change in its style and it produced some of the biggest names of today’s wrestling world like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. This time period of NXT is widely addressed as the black and gold era of the NXT. It is still the most popular time period of the brand.
But during the covid-19 pandemic, WWE decided to rebrand the NXT and started to address it as NXT 2.0. The style of the NXT changed since the very day, and it could never be restored. Triple H attempted to restore the old NXT but the Black and Gold Era is still irreplaceable in WWE. Fans still believe it was the best time period of the NXT.
Carmelo hayes Made NXT During The End Of Black And Gold Days
Carmelo Hayes who is also a former three times NXT North American champion recently spoke to where he looked back at the black and gold era of the NXT and discussed how it is being romanticized by the fans. He also discussed the decline of the NXT after the covid-19 pandemic. He said;
I remember the Black and Gold era, and everybody talks about it and romanticizes that Black and Gold era so much. And it was great and it was awesome at the peak. But right after the whole thing with COVID and in that ThunderDome era of WWE and NXT, it was kind of on a decline in a way.
“I remember watching the show as a brand-new signee and I’m thinking, “Man, there’s so much missing here that I feel like I could bring to this show. There just needs to be something — like nobody’s doing this, nobody’s doing this, nobody’s doing this.” I’m like, “Man, I just need the opportunity.
“I had worked hard for like four or five months in the Performance Center just getting ready and working the little live event shows that we had. And finally, they gave me a shot. They gave me my name. And then, two days later, they gave me a shot against KUSHIDA for the Cruiserweight Title in my debut.
“And after that match, I had done really well, but I remember talking to Hunter after. I was like, “Man, I know I could do so much better. And then I remember talking to Shawn. And this is a story that I’ve told a couple of times and just telling Shawn straight up, I said, “Man, I really want to be a top guy. I know I’m undersized, but I don’t want to be a 205 Live guy. I see more from myself.”
H/T and transcribed by Post Wrestling
