During their time in NXT, The Revival became known as one of the best tag teams in the world thanks to their classic matches with DIY and American Alpha.
The team came together in 2014 after Scott Dawson failed to gain traction in a team with Garrett Dylan before suffering a torn ACL. The arrival of Dash Wilder signified a new start for both men and they had the backing of an rather influential man in NXT.
"Dusty [Rhodes] was our biggest supporter," said Dawson on Talk Is Jericho. "You hear a lot of talent out of the PC say that, but he was. He had the people he believed in and he knew it would take a while for us to get where we wanted to go and where he wanted us to go, but he knew we could get there. I remember Sami Zayn and I were in the trainer's room, Dusty came in, this was two days before he passed away, and it was right after a string of live events. Him and the coaches watched a match I had and he said, 'Dawson, I don't care what anyone says. I don't care what the internet says. You're the best wrestler we've got, bar none. Sami, I'm talking straight to you.' That was the confidence he had in me and [Dash]. He let us know that he knew where'd we go. 'The way you guys work, look, and talk; you're gonna have to work harder than anybody else to get where you wanna go. But I know you can do it.' That stuck with me for a long time."
Wilder went on to say that Dusty realized they respected the art and details of wrestling, which is why he took a liking to them.
He added, "I firmly believe that if it wasn't for Dusty, we might not have stuck as a tag team. My first promo class, Dawson and I did a promo together. It was my first one with Dusty and I was extremely nervous. We did it and Dusty was like, 'I want you guys to never leave each other's side. Be a tag team, get to know each other, become shadows, be the tag team I think you can be.' He had unwavering faith in us right off the bat to where some of the coaches weren't sold, but he was so sold that he pushed for it and made it happen. He would take us out of class to sit with him, talk, and eat homemade ice cream. He would get to know us and know our characters. From literally day one, he was our biggest supporter and pushed for it harder than anyone. I don't think we would be where we are or who we are if it wasn't for Dusty."
The Revival won the NXT Tag Team Titles on two separate occasions on the gold brand before being moved to the main roster. They become frustrated on the main roster due to the lack of attention being paid to the tag team division.
You can read more about their frustration by clicking here.
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