NXT's game show phase is certainly a far cry from the quality of the product that the black-and-gold brand provides today. However, the early period of NXT was an interesting time, with lots of ups and downs coming from the different competitive game show elements.
While some of the segments were goofy, there was a lot of great talent involved. WWE typically gave opportunities to everyone who was involved in that show. However, the success rate was mixed. Some talents from the game show era went on to become huge names for WWE, whereas others just became flops for the company.
10 Succeeded: Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett was the winner of the original season for NXT, and he more than succeeded from that point. Barrett got the opportunity to become the leader of Nexus, which is one of the most memorable factions of all time.
While Barrett didn't manage to sustain the main event run he began with, the Englishman had a fantastic WWE career. Having multiple title reigns and now being back with NXT as a commentator, Barrett is certainly a success story from the game show.
9 Flopped: Lucky Cannon
Lucky Cannon had two opportunities to become a big success via the NXT game show product. He was involved in the second season and then returned for the final series, which was the redemption storyline.
However, despite WWE putting plenty of time into him on this show, he never managed to become a big star. Cannon ended up being someone that most fans have totally forgotten, becoming a flop.
8 Succeeded: AJ Lee
The third season of NXT's game show was purely focused on women's wrestling, and AJ Lee was the big success story from that season. She actually finished third in the competition, but AJ was able to kick on and become a huge name in wrestling afterward.
AJ is one of the greatest Divas Champions of all time, and while she wasn't involved in an era where women were the focal point, she did help usher in a lot of change for women's wrestling during her run with the company.
7 Flopped: Derrick Bateman
Derrick Bateman was in the fourth season of NXT where he was given a great mentor in Daniel Bryan. However, despite having a great look and fantastic ability in the ring, Bateman became a huge flop on the main roster.
The character never got the right push and things just didn't work for him. Instead, Bateman had to go away, repackage himself, and return as EC3, and even that didn't work on the main roster.
6 Succeeded: Heath Slater
Heath Slater might not have gone on to be a World Champion in WWE, but The One-Man Rock Band certainly had a great career. No matter what role he was placed into, Slater always made things work, connecting with an audience either as a heel or a babyface.
He had plenty of tag title runs during his career and Slater proved to be one of the most entertaining wrestlers of his era. Comedy was where Slater thrived, and he ended up being one of the funniest characters in WWE during his time.
5 Flopped: Brodus Clay
Brodus Clay was initially seen as someone who could be a big monster in WWE, which was the idea when he got paired with Alberto Del Rio after his NXT run. However that character didn't last long, and instead, he became The Funkasaurus.
While this character had some success in terms of popularity with fans, it was never going to make him a big name. Instead, Brodus was a forgettable star who ended up flopping overall.
4 Succeeded: Husky Harris
When Husky Harris was part of NXT, few fans would've expected that character to go on and have a lot of success. It simply wasn't an interesting gimmick, but Harris has managed to thrive in WWE with the slight tweak, becoming Bray Wyatt.
Since that point, Wyatt has always been a featured name in WWE. Whether he's a cult leader or The Fiend, Harris has managed to be a big part of the product and certainly has become a success story from the game show.
3 Flopped: Alex Riley
Alex Riley was involved in the second season of NXT's game show, and he was someone WWE pushed heavily after that. While things started well with The Miz, as time progressed, Riley began to struggle a lot more.
Rumors of backstage issues have always been part of Riley's story, but in the end, things didn't work out for him in WWE. Even with an attempt to return to NXT to restart things, Riley ended up becoming a forgotten name.
2 Succeeded: Daniel Bryan
To say that Daniel Bryan was the first person to be eliminated from the original season of NXT, there's no denying he has had the most success since that point. Bryan has gone on to not just thrive in WWE but become one of the most popular wrestlers of all time.
Bryan's in-ring talent was never in doubt, but he has developed massively in terms of personality, promo, and storytelling. He has been able to do it all inside the ring and his career stands out among the rest, being a huge success.
1 Flopped: Kaval
Kaval actually won the second season of NXT's game show, and the expectations for him were pretty high. Much like Bryan, Kaval was a well-known name with hardcore wrestling fans and, inside the ring, he was terrific.
However, unlike Bryan, he didn't take to the sports entertainment aspect of the company. Things didn't work out for Kaval on the main roster, and while he had a brief run with the company, he ended up being a forgotten name.