On the one year anniversary of NXT 2.0, a new NXT logo was unveiled and seems to signal the end of the rainbow brand.
NXT built its name with the colors black and gold, establishing itself as an alternative to Raw and SmackDown in both branding and in-ring presentation.
However, in September of 2021, the black and gold era came to an end with the advent of NXT 2.0, represented by a colorful rainbow swirl and a drastic shift in presentation as it returned to its focus as a developmental brand. This seemingly came as an edict from Vince McMahon, who’s since retired from WWE amidst allegations of sexual misconduct and hush money payments.
One year later, the anniversary show reflected on the impressive moments that have taken place throughout the year, playing video packages throughout the show.
Following the main event that saw Solo Sikoa make a shock return to win the North American Championship, one more video package played, accompanied by a voiceover from none other than Shawn Michaels, who serves as Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative.
“NXT has been and always will be about developing the Superstars of tomorrow. While we will always reflect and acknowledge the past, NXT is constantly evolving with a focus on the future. Superstars develop and move on, but our message to our passionate fans will never change. We are NXT.”
The NXT 2.0 logo was shown on screen, being outlined with gold and changing to a solid white with gold outline as the 2.0 portion disappeared.
loading 📶 pic.twitter.com/eWQyNYCQD6
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) September 14, 2022
Michaels also shared the promo video to social media to hype up the change and look toward the future.
Tonight we celebrate one year of #WWENXT 2.0 and look to the future!!!#WeAreNXThttps://t.co/PiWLLMvNRj
— Shawn Michaels (@ShawnMichaels) September 14, 2022
It remains to be seen what the shift back to NXT from NXT 2.0 will mean for the show, but it’s yet another indication that Triple H is making major changes since taking over in the wake of Vince McMahon’s retirement.
If you use the quote from this transcription, please link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.