Wade Barrett Describes 'Seismic Shift' From WWE NXT To WWE NXT 2.0

On September 14, 2021, "NXT" was rebranded from it's Black and Gold roots, where the brand would put on longer matches and feature many indie wrestlers, to "NXT 2.0," a more vibrant, colorful, and home-grown based atmosphere. The product itself saw change, as many of the stars that had been featured on past Takeovers are no longer with the brand, with a few former NXT Champions not even being with the company.

"It was a seismic shift when we went from the Black and Gold brand to "NXT 2.0" about a year ago," "NXT 2.0" commentator Barrett said appearing on "Busted Open." "I know it turned off a lot of our viewers. A lot of people were fans of the Black and Gold era ... I felt previously the Black and Gold era wasn't really serving as that traditional developmental show that we once had when I went through OVW or Florida Championship Wrestling."

Barrett discussed his opinion on the change and viewership of "NXT 2.0." "I think the change was necessary, and now it opened a ton of opportunities for people like Carmelo Hayes, Tiffany Stratton, Bron Breakker, to go out, develop, grow, and show what they can do. I think now with 12 months of build with a lot of those characters ... They are now stars in their own right and they're able to carry the show and I think the fanbase of NXT now has their claws sunk into these humans," Barrett said. "I think that has helped us really start to grow the audience again. I think our viewership is climbing once again now, I feel like we have a really good set up down here."

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.