Shawn Michaels: Criticism Of 2.0 Compared To Black & Gold Put A Chip On Our Shoulder
In 2021, NXT rebranded to NXT 2.0, dropping the Black & Gold aesthetic that defined an era and moving to a more colorful presentation.
New characters were introduced on the premiere episode of NXT 2.0, paving the way for the brand that fans currently see today.
Speaking to Adrian Hernandez of Unlikely, Shawn Michaels was asked about the pressure that came with following the Black & Gold era with 2.0 and if he was aware of the criticism.
“Sure, oh yeah. It’s no different than trying to follow the Attitude Era and things of that nature. You’re always going to have people that look at the past through a lens in rose colored fashion. You’re always going to have people comparing eras, time, or talent. One of the things we try to tell everybody is, ‘comparison is the death of progress.’ It’s something that you keenly have to be aware of, but at the same time, I was very proud of all of those individuals because they understood what they were going up against, they heard the criticism, and the one really positive things, whether it was Bron (Breakker), Trick (Williams), Melo [Carmelo Hayes], Lash (Legend), they are all former athletes. Even from Carmelo and Je’Von’s standpoint, who are Indie guys, it put a chip on their shoulder and made them want to work harder to prove people wrong.
“That’s kind of an advantage from our standpoint. Everybody is a fighter if you get into this line of work. They understand that they are always going to be compared to somebody else and they have to withstand that. That’s one of the ways to build character in this line of work. Everybody has to face a little adversity in their careers, and those young men and women faced a lot of it early on and I think they’re better for it.”
The 2.0 Era disappeared in 2022, becoming what fans see today, a mixture of athletes, characters, and independent wrestlers.
Elsewhere during the interview, Michaels commented on Randy Orton selling the superkick. You can find his full comments here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit and link to the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
