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.

"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.

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.