Shawn Michaels is addressing the backlash that came with NXT’s shift from the beloved black-and-gold era to NXT 2.0—and he’s not shying away from the reality of how fans reacted.
While speaking with Adrian Hernandez, Michaels was asked directly about the backlash that followed the transition, especially from fans who viewed the original NXT era as something special—often compared to the Attitude Era.
The question pointed to how jarring the change felt at the time, with criticism centered around the new presentation, brighter aesthetic, and overall direction. Michaels didn’t deny any of it. In fact, he made it clear he was fully aware of the reaction from day one.
“Sure. Oh yeah—yeah. And it’s no different than trying to follow the Attitude Era and things of that nature. You’re always going to have people that sort of look at the past through a lens— you know, in rose-colored fashion, right? And you’re always going to have people comparing eras or times or talent.”
Rather than push back against those comparisons, Michaels explained that it’s something that naturally comes with any major shift in wrestling. Even with that mindset, Michaels admitted the roster understood exactly what they were walking into—and used it as motivation.
“One of the things we try to make sure we tell everybody is, you know, comparison is— is the death of progress, you know what I mean? And so it’s something that you certainly have to be keenly 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.”
He pointed specifically to talents like Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, and Carmelo Hayes, explaining how the criticism didn’t break them—it pushed them. From Michaels’ perspective, that kind of pressure is part of the business—and even necessary for growth.
“They heard the criticism, and the one really positive thing—whether it was Bron, or Trick, Carmelo—all those individuals, they are all former athletes, and it sort of, from Carmelo and Je’von’s standpoint, who were indie guys, it put a chip on their shoulder and made them want to work harder. They wanted to prove people wrong. And so that’s always kind of an advantage from our standpoint. Everybody’s a fighter if you get into this line of work, and they understand that they’re always going to be compared to somebody else, and they have to kind of withstand that.”
The WWE Hall of Famer closed by pointing to adversity as a defining factor in shaping talent, especially for those who had to deal with criticism early in their careers, making it clear it was a way for them to build character.
“I think that’s one of the ways you build character in this line of work. So 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 transition from black-and-gold to NXT 2.0 may have divided opinion at the time, but Michaels is making it clear that, behind the scenes, it created a tougher and more driven generation of talent that’s now delivering results on a bigger stage.
Do you think Shawn Michaels was right about NXT 2.0 criticism helping shape today’s stars, or did WWE move away from the black-and-gold era too quickly? Let us know your thoughts.
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