Before NXT solidified itself as WWE’ third brand, it was a TV series that pitted hopeful Superstars against one another in a competition to win a WWE Contract. Five seasons of the show aird and sixth one was planned, but never saw the light of day. WWE’ve uncovered lost footage, reviling five Superstars who almost got their starts on this NXT.
- Seth Rollins:
Sporting jet black hair and some eye-catching gear, Seth Rollins was ready to set WWE NXT on Fire. He eventually did, but it wasn’t on a season of NXT. Rollins defeated Jinder Mahal in August of 2012 in the finals of an eight-man gold rush tournament to become the first NXT Champion.
- Big E:
Big E had been a veteran of Florida Championship Wrestling since fall of 2009, competing alongside rookies from the first and second seasons of NXT. He was set to join the NXT rookie in 2011. He defeated Seth Rollins and became the Second NXT Champion.
- Xavier Woods:
You might not recognize the other one at first glance. By the time Xavier Woods stepped into the ring at Full Sail in October 2012, he looked more like the trombone playing gamer we know today.
- Jinder Mahal:
Jinder Mahal debuted on SmackDown in April of 2011 when he approached The Great Khali and Ranjin Singh backstage. But the Modern-Day Maharaja was supposed to appear first on NXT. His career has gone down many different paths since then with few predicting that he would one day be WWE Champion.
- Bo Dallas:
He would have been the perfect contestant for some of the challenges on NXT considering he routinely runs laps around the ring just for fun. Dallas found success in NXT all the same, beating Big E for NXT Championship which he held for 261 days.
