Pete Dunne Hopes To Keep NXT 2.0’s In-Ring Quality The Same As Previously Set

NXT’s complete rebrand into the NXT 2.0 we see every Tuesday now was one of the biggest news stories of 2021, as fans expressed concerns about the change of direction for the developmental brand.

With the change from signing independent wrestlers to younger, athletic prospects, fans of the black and gold era of NXT were worried that the in-ring quality that they were used to would decrease.

One of NXT 2.0’s top stars and survivor from the black and gold era Pete Dunne recently appeared on WWE After the Bell, where he said that he hopes to keep the in-ring quality that fans of the black and gold era of NXT are used to.

He said:

“It’s a completely different scene there now, right? And it continues to change. But to me, it’s business as usual, in a sense, right? Like, I’m still me, I’m exactly the same. I want to be as competitive as I can. I wanna find the best matches I can. It’s just a different, different crew of people to work with and do that. (I want to) still do me, the same style of match, the same sort of thing, but with a new cast of characters, right. I’m looking forward to different opportunities to work with different guys and also show them what NXT is about. You know, like you said, preparing for WarGames, I know what I’m going out there and I’m about to do. I think for a lot of these guys now. It’s about keeping that same standard that we got NXT known for. People knew about those TakeOvers that were going to be hard to follow. I want to keep it at that standard right and just bring these new guys in and see if they can hang with us and the ones that do, [will] still gonna have the same quality.”

Dunne carried on, calling the NXT in-ring product the ‘best in the world’, and how he hopes to bring a buzz around the next generation of NXT stars.

He said:

“To me, the in-ring product has always been at such a high level (in NXT). You could argue it’s the best in the world, right? I want to keep that. Obviously, with newer guys coming in that maybe don’t have the background that people like myself, [Undisputed] ERA or yourself have had, that’s gonna feel difficult at first. But if there’s ever a place where hopefully we can manage that, it’s the WWE Performance Center. You have access to Robbie Brookside, William Regal, Finlay, all the way up to Shawn Michaels, you know, so you really can get a crash course in what this is, and I just hope that we can keep it to that standard. I’m sure we can, even in the short space of time. You know, we’re only one big event in and I’m not sure how long now, but it’s still a fairly recent change. But you can see how much of the audience are gravitating towards the Bron Breakkers, the (Carmelo Hayes), you know, people like this. So, hopefully, we’re at the start of something that is just the next evolution of NXT. Like you said, some things remain the same and I feel like that could be the buzz about the whole thing. Going back to your original era, all the way through now. Obviously, some things are going to feel different for a while and there might be a bit of an awkward transition at times, but I hope, overall there’s still that buzz about it and there’s still that, ‘I can’t wait to see what this guy does when he moves up to Raw, SmackDown, goes on to do whatever it is that we’re all gonna do.’ Hopefully, that buzz remains the same and everyone’s quality can stay to the super high standard.”

Dunne was recently a part of Team Black & Gold at NXT War Games, where he, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa and LA Knight were defeated by Team 2.0’s Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Tony D’Angelo and Grayson Waller. The match was very good, so Dunne’s hope of maintaining the in-ring quality is off to a good start.

transcription via Fightful

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