Matt Hardy Recalls Mentoring Justin Gabriel During WWE NXT Game Show

Before "WWE NXT" was transformed into WWE's official developmental territory, it was set up as a reality competition show in which "rookie" wrestlers battled to become WWE's next breakout star. Each rookie was then paired with a "pro," or established talent, to help guide them through the series. Season one of "NXT" featured eight WWE hopefuls, one of whom was Justin Gabriel. During a recent episode of "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy," Gabriel's pro, Matt Hardy, recalled his experience in mentoring Gabriel during the show.

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"I was very impressed [with Gabriel]. He was a great athlete, and I got to know him good," Hardy said. "We became friends during this time as well, and it's so funny, that was in 2010 when this went down. Last time I saw him, which was last year sometime in 2023, 13 years later, still he says 'Hey what's up coach? What's up coach!' I love that that's our interactions, whenever we do it."

Prior to filming season one of "NXT," Gabriel noted that Hardy had reached out to talents in WWE's then-developmental territory of FCW to inquire about Gabriel's abilities. Gabriel later heard that his peers had described him as a "young AJ [Styles]," which Hardy seemingly found amusing.

After 15 weeks of intense competition, Gabriel was crowned as the third-place winner of "NXT," trailing behind David Otuga and the show's first-place victor, Wade Barrett. The trio, along with several of their fellow "NXT" rookies. later formed the dominant faction known as The Nexus.

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If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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