Former WWE Star Shares Honest Thoughts On NXT 2.0, Recalls Plans Changing After Reboot

WWE

Former WWE star Joseph Sawyer – fka Joe Gacy – has shared his honest thoughts on NXT 2.0, recalling plans for his character changing following the brand’s reboot.

WWE NXT was officially rebooted in September 2021, adding more of a focus to character work and showcasing younger athletes in a move which many fans criticised at the time.

Joe Gacy was a mainstay of the 2.0 era of NXT, with his politically correct heel character transitioning over time into the darker Schism faction leader.

Speaking with Simply Reliable Studios, Gacy – who now wrestles as Joseph Sawyer – recalled plans for his character changing following the reboot, noting:

“I had talks with creative about potentially developing a character, but this was still Black & Gold NXT. We had talks up to a certain point, and then things changed, and things happened.

“When 2.0 started, that kind of stopped as far as character-wise, then the new character was developed.”

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Sawyer went on to state that he does believe the reboot was somewhat needed, continuing:

“I loved Black & Gold for the reasons I loved Black & Gold, but I also loved 2.0. Black & Gold was doing so much, matches were great, but it got to a point where it’s like, ‘Well how do you top this? How do you keep topping it?’

“It almost felt like a reset on NXT was maybe what it needed a little bit. It got to the point where 2.0 was being treated almost like the main roster, where you had more character development, different characters than the NXT audience was probably used to at the time.

“I think the idea was supposed to be that you could develop this character on the new NXT that can translate very easily onto the main roster, rather than having these guys kill it on the Black & Gold NXT, and then Vince just changing everything about them when bringing them up.

“I think the hope was, develop this character here, and then get brought up with the same character.”

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Sawyer ultimately made his main roster debut as part of the Wyatt Sicks faction, before being let go by the company during April’s round of talent cuts.

Joseph Sawyer also addressed what he believes went wrong with the Schism faction in NXT, click here to read more.

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• nxt
• wwe
• Joe Gacy
• joseph sawyer

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