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Former WWE Superstar Heath Slater recently spoke about his time in the company, specifically during the original version of NXT. The initial format of WWE's third brand included more of a game show narrative than that of a wrestling program.
In 2010, along with several other 'rookies' like Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett, Heath was part of the original version of NXT. The former black-and-gold brand showcased young superstars tasked with completing challenges like obstacle courses and musical chairs.
Speaking on the podcast Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Slater stated how WWE put him and the rest of the rookies in very difficult and awkward situations.
“They didn’t even tell us the games that we were doing,” he revealed. “We would show up and the next thing you know, we’ve got an obstacle course that you’ve got to run. Then we got to be in front of the O2 Arena, which holds at least 50,000 people and it’s already sold out. We would be in the middle of the ring and they would say, ‘Alright Heath, you’ve got one minute — a promo about cereal.’ I am like, ‘Um, I like cereal, I eat it with milk,’ you know what I mean?” H/T Ringside News
Several performers on the original version of NXT were seasoned veterans. However, WWE booked the stars to look inexperienced during their time on the show.
Heath Slater and the other NXT rookies knew how not to look stupid
Despite the old version of WWE's third brand being remembered for their game show antics, the show's rookies made it their best effort to come out of each show looking strong.
Continuing his conversation on Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Slater claimed that the rookies knew how to look credible on television despite some underwhelming booking.
“In my way of thinking with the whole NXT thing, I don’t think they knew exactly what they wanted to do but they had a good idea. But thank god we knew what we were doing while we were out there so we didn’t look stupid. That was a fact,” he claimed. “The only time we looked stupid was when we had to do the game stuff, you know? Because it was right on the fly, on television.” H/T Ringside News
After their stint, Slater and the rest of the rookies went to WWE's main roster. The upstarts formed a villainous group known as The Nexus. The faction made an immediate impact on their debut as they took out John Cena.
