10 Best Moments From WWE NXT 2.0, Ranked

Triple H’s version of NXT underwent a complete re-imagining in 2021. The beloved black and gold brand was rebranded into a sports entertainment-centric weekly television program; a complete shift from The Game’s original vision of the product. The season premiere of NXT 2.0 aired on the USA Network on September 14, 2021, and featured the crowning of a new champion during the show’s main event.

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WWE bid farewell to the yellow brand on September 13, 2022. The one-year anniversary episode of NXT 2.0 concluded with Shawn Michaels recalling some of the greatest moments from the show. Fans in attendance and watching at home saw the colorful NXT 2.0 logo replaced with a white and gold NXT graphic. WWE ditched “2.0” as part of the overall rebranding as well. As NXT re-emerged from the ashes under Triple H’s leadership, let’s revisit the moments that defined NXT 2.0.

10 Bron Breakker Destroys the Old NXT Logo

Bron Breakker debuted during the very first episode of NXT 2.0. The son of WWE Hall of Famer, Rick Steiner, grabbed a convincing win against L.A. Knight (currently known as Max Dupri). Breakker had a stare down with then NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa as well.

The powerhouse challenged for the NXT Champion at NXT: New Year’s Evil on January 6, 2022. En route to the ring, Breakker destroyed the gold Styrofoam “X” by kicking it in half. The act had symbolic significance as NXT 2.0 would soon usher in a new era, with Breakker as its face.

9 Toxic Attraction Wins All the Gold

Mandy Rose returned to NXT in July 2021 and began her ascent up the card. Rose attacked Kayden Carter and Katana Chance, aligning herself with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne in the process. Fans were surprised to see Mandy Rose with an all-new look and a villainous persona in NXT 2.0.

All three members of Toxic Attraction put the entire NXT women’s division on notice by winning all the gold at NXT Halloween Havoc on October 26, 2021. Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship in a grueling Ladder match. Rose, on the other hand, ended Raquel Rodriquez’s reign as NXT Women’s Champion.

8 L.A Knight Hypes Up WarGames

Fans who’ve seen L.A Knight’s mic work know just how phenomenal of a promo he is. Knight was part of the Men’s WarGames match that pitted Team Black and Gold against Team 2.0 inside a brutal steel cage on December 5, 2021.

Knight would hype up the event big time just a week before the big match. The former Million Dollar Champion cut a promo wherein he put over his teammates (Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne and Tommaso Ciampa) in spectacular fashion.

7 Carmelo Hayes Retires the NXT Cruiserweight Title

Carmelo Hayes caught the attention of fans and peers alike when he answered Kushida’s open challenge for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship. While Hayes failed to capture the title, he set his sights on a much bigger fish, the NXT Breakout Tournament, which he would end up winning.

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Hayes once again challenged for the Cruiserweight Championship at NXT: New Year’s Evil. Hayes’ North American Championship was on the line as well. Hayes defeated Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong to unify the two titles.

6 Nikkita Lyons Makes a Convincing Debut

Nikkita Lyons has all the tools to be a top star in the entire women’s division of WWE and there’s no arguing that. Lyons is already popular in NXT and has had matches against the likes of Mandy Rose, Natalya and others.

Nikkita Lyons made her NXT 2.0 debut on the February 22, 2022, episode of the show. The Lioness of NXT squared off against Kayla Inlay. Nikkita pinned her opponent in an extremely creative, and provocative, fashion. Her finisher has since become a major part of her presentation on NXT.

5 Solo Sikoa Finally Dethrones Carmelo Hayes

Solo Sikoa shocked fans when he helped Roman Reigns retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in Cardiff, Wales. Sikoa’s brothers The Usos welcomed him with open arms, but Sami Zayn wasn’t happy about the newest Bloodline member.

Solo Sikoa had some unfinished business with Carmelo Hayes when he made his main roster debut. The Street Champion made an unexpected return to NXT 2.0 on September 13, 2021, and finally beat Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship during the show’s main event. He was later stripped of the title, but it was still a fantastic moment.

4 Mandy Rose Becomes Unified NXT Women’s Champion

Mandy Rose is on a record-breaking reign as NXT Women’s Champion. Rose defeated Raquel Rodriquez for the title at NXT Halloween Havoc. She successfully retained the title against the likes of Cora Jade, Roxanne Perez, and Zoey Stark as well.

Mandy Rose hit her biggest career milestone to date when she defeated Blair Davenport and Meiko Satomura to unify the NXT Women and NXT UK Women’s Championship at Worlds Collide on September 4, 2022.

3 Dolph Ziggler Shocks the World

Dolph Ziggler interrupted a segment between Bron Breakker and Santos Escobar on the February 8, 2022, edition of NXT 2.0. Ziggler soon inserted himself into the title picture by picking up the win against Tommaso Ciampa.

The Showoff finally captured the NXT Championship in a triple-threat match, involving defending champion Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa at NXT Roadblock on March 8, 2022. Ziggler retained the title until Breakker finally reclaimed it during the Raw after WrestleMania.

2 Old Faces Show Up

WWE decided to re-imagine NXT UK to create NXT Europe, which has surprised fans and performers alike. The company released several NXT UK superstars from their contracts as well. The final episode NXT UK culminated with Tyler Bate’s NXT UK Championship win over Trent Seven. Bate would have a visit from a former rival ahead of his title unification match at Worlds Collide.

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Bate received major prep talk from both Gunther and Pete 'Butch' Dunne. The go-home edition of NXT 2.0 for Worlds Collide also featured Finn Balor, Tommaso Ciampa, Rhea Ripley, and Shayna Baszler as they attempted to motivate the defending champions to uphold the legacy of their respective brands.

1 Dexter Lumis Finally Speaks

Dexter Lumis might have terrorized The Way, but that didn't stop Indi Hartwell from falling for him. Even Johnny Gargano didn't approve of their romance at first. Austin Theory, on the other hand, got the life scared out of him by Lumis on multiple occasions. Hence, he had his reservations.

Love finally prevailed on NXT 2.0 as InDex got married during the show's main event. To top things off, the ceremony didn't end in a disaster. Lumis spoke for the first and, perhaps, only time on NXT TV when he said "I do" to Indi Hartwell.