History EnsembleDarkhorse / WWENXT

* Roxanne Perez already was liked due to her previous association with Ring Of Honor, but her wrestling ability despite her young age gained her even more fans, even to the extent that people wanted to see her win the Women's title as soon as possible.

* Even before his debut, Parker Bordeaux, later renamed Harland, gained a decent following due to Paul Heyman christening him as "The Next Brock Lesnar".

** On a more minor scale, [[Wrestling/JustinGabriel Justin Gabriel]] was also quite popular on the show for his high-flying ability and good looks.

** On a more minor scale, [[Wrestling/Justin Gabriel Justin Gabriel]] was also quite popular on the show for his high-flying ability and good looks.

[[folder:Developmental era]]

* Wrestling/MandyRose. Since her return on the July 14th edition of WWE NXT, she's been on an absolute roll. From her [[{{face heel turn}} heel turn]] as of the 31st August edition of NXT to forming {{heel}} {{alpha bitch}} [[{{power stable}} power trio]] Toxic Attraction with new arrivals Gigi Dolin (formerly known by her real name Priscilla Kelly) and Jacy Jayne, they've taken NXT by hook and crook as at NXT Halloween Havoc, Jacy and Gigi took the NXT women's tag team championship from Io Shirai and fellow new arrival Zoey Stark and Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta in a Scareway to Hell ladder match and Mandy finally won her first championship by beating Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT women's championship with some help from Raquel's former friend Dakota Kai.

* Wrestling/MandyRose. Since her return on the July 14th edition of WWE NXT, she's been on an absolute roll. From her [[{{face heel turn}} heel turn]] as of the 31st August edition of NXT to forming {{heel}} {{alpha bitch}} [[{{power stable}} power trio]] Toxic Attraction with new arrivals Gigi Dolin (formerly known by her real name Priscilla Kelly) and Jacy Jayne, they've taken NXT by hook and crook as at NXT Halloween Havoc, Jacy and Gigi took the NXT women's tag team championship from Io Shirai and fellow new arrival Zoey Stark and Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta and Mandy finally won her first championship by beating Raquel Gonzalez for the NXT women's championship with some help from Raquel's former friend Dakota Kai.

* From the reboot, Bron Breakker quickly became this mainly due to his impressive ring work despite his inexperience as well as being related as well as baring a resemblance to Scott Steiner.
* Even before his debut, Parker Bordeaux gained a decent following due to Paul Heyman christening him as "The Next Brock Lesnar".

* Since the NXT/FCW merge, one person has managed to completely overshadow everyone on the roster in terms of popularity: Wrestling/BrayWyatt, formerly Husky Harris. He was almost universally considered to be one of the best things on it, before he was called up the main WWE roster & did it again.

* Enzo Amore's hammy, hyperactive MilesGloriosus gimmick made him a fan favorite, which is why he eventually made a [[HeelFaceTurn face turn]]. It also rubbed off on Colin Cassady.

* Kyle O'Reilly, in [[Wrestling/TheUndisputedEra a stable]] full of Ensemble Darkhorses, no less, has become one due to his memetic facial expressions, over-the-top selling and overall sleaziness combined with a ruthless demeanor and top-notch workrate.

* While his wrestling work garnered [[BrokenBase mixed reactions]], Corey Graves' work as a commentator has been very well received by fans.

* Kyle O'Reilly, in a stable full of Ensemble Darkhorses, no less, has become one due to his memetic facial expressions, over-the-top selling and overall sleaziness combined with a ruthless demeanor and top-notch workrate.

** Her former Wrestling/ChickBusters partner Kaitlyn as well. Despite being the least trained and least capable wrestler, it showing, and admitting it, she bagged the most votes to win Season 3 and proved popular enough with fans to push her for the Divas' Championship against Eve.

* A lot of the ''NXT'' cult success is credited to the storyline of Maxine, [[Wrestling/{{Fandango}} Johnny Curtis]], and [[Wrestling/{{EC3}} Derrick Bateman]], and expressed genuine frustration and regret when Maxine announced she asked to leave the company.

* Sami Zayn and Paige are considered this as well. '''Especially''' Paige, who went on to win the Divas Championship from Wrestling/AJLee. It was commented at least once that there were more signs for Paige in the crowd than anyone else, male or female.
* Kassius Ohno also had this before he was released. It hasn't come close to Zayn's through. [[spoiler:After his return, the hype has come back with a vengeance.]]

* Baron Corbin had this treatment for some time after he squashed [[TheScrappy CJ Parker]] at NXT Takeover 2. It also helps that his [[FinishingMove finisher]], the End of Days, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhPHa2ZINhQ looks awesome]]. However, it faded with time, and he is more of a BaseBreakingCharacter now, at one point bordering on an outright [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] prior to his FaceHeelTurn and facing competitive opponents which allowed him to actually demonstrate and improve his ring work.
* When footage from a promo class leaked online, several promos saw developmental Diva Alexa Bliss playing the girlfriend of redneck [[Wrestling/TheRevival Scott Dawson]]. She got lots of praise from fans, who eagerly awaited her debut. Although she had a different gimmick when she did debut, fans still remembered her and immediately chanted "let's go Bliss!"
* The "Four Horsewomen" of NXT, Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}, Wrestling/SashaBanks, Wrestling/{{Bayley}}, and Wrestling/BeckyLynch. They were seen as four of the best female wrestlers in recent WWE and were a glimmer of hope in a wasteland of a women's division on the main roster. Charlotte faced a ton of backlash once she moved up to the main roster, but the other three are still given nothing but praise for their work.

* Nikki Cross has garnered a huge following that greatly increased after splitting from Sanity, who have moved on to the main roster (already well-liked on their own). Much of the praise has gone to her strong dedication to her unhinged, psychotic character.

* Rich Swann has gone a long way from a jobber who was essentially designated to get other people over to a fan favorite over the course of the CWC tournament. His overall hilarity and an EarWorm of a theme earned him fan adoration and love. Rich's electic personality, athletism and knack for entertainment make him just the kind of a performer the WWE Universe sets their high standards for. [[spoiler: WWE, seemingly picking up on his cult following, booked him into the first main event on the new Cruiserweight Division show, 205 Live, as the challenger to Brian Kendrick's WWE Cruiserweight Title. He won.]]

* When footage from a promo class leaked online, several promos saw developmental Diva Alexa Bliss playing the girlfriend of redneck Scott Dawson. She got lots of praise from fans, who eagerly awaited her debut. Although she had a different gimmick when she did debut, fans still remembered her and immediately chanted "let's go Bliss!"

* It cannot be understated enough how much the fandom ''adores'' Johnny Gargano. He consistently puts on five-star classics, and his captivating feud with Tomasso Ciampa spawned what many consider one of the best matches to ever come out of NXT. There have been comparisons to '''[[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]''' concerning how over Gargano is.

* Aleister Black had a following since his indy days as Tommy End, but after his introduction at ''Takeover: Orlando'' he quickly grabbed the attention of the crowd with his unusual theatrics, wrestling style which includes a lot of stiff kicks and 'brooding anti-hero' image that is comparable to that of Wrestling/TheUndertaker, making him one of the biggest attractions of NXT.

* Baron Corbin had this treatment for some time after he squashed [[TheScrappy CJ Parker]] at NXT Takeover 2. It also helps that his [[FinishingMove finisher]], the End of Days, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhPHa2ZINhQ looks awesome]]. However, it faded with time, and he is more of a BaseBreaker now, at one point bordering on an outright [[TheScrappy Scrappy]] prior to his FaceHeelTurn and facing competitive opponents which allowed him to actually demonstrate and improve his ring work.

** It cannot be understated enough how much the fandom ''adores'' Johnny Gargano. He consistently puts on five-star classics, and his captivating feud with Tomasso Ciampa spawned what many consider one of the best matches to ever come out of NXT. There have been comparisons to '''[[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]]''' concerning how over Gargano is.
** Kyle O'Reilly, in a stable full of Ensemble Darkhorses, no less, has become one due to his memetic facial expressions, over-the-top selling and overall sleaziness combined with a ruthless demeanor and top-notch workrate.
** Nikki Cross has garnered a huge following that greatly increased after splitting from Sanity (already well-liked on their own). Much of the praise has gone to her strong dedication to her unhinged, psychotic character.

As a show, ''[[Wrestling/{{WWENXT}} NXT]]'' (especially post-competition) became the Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s EnsembleDarkhorse of the televised shows. Widely considered to be the best thing about WWE in TheNewTens, its less bloated and repetitive format compared to the main WWE roster is seen as a refreshment from what many fans saw as a rotting period for WWE otherwise. It comes to no surprise, then, that the show gave birth to [[EnsembleDarkhorse many beloved stars]].

* Perhaps the biggest Ensemble Darkhorse of NXT is the show itself, especially when compared to ''Raw'' and ''[=SmackDown=]''.
** In particular, NXT's Women's division is one for the show as a whole, as it is often considered to produce the match of the night and portrays women's wrestling in a way that hasn't been seen in WWE before.

* "Blue Pants," AKA Leva Bates, hasn't appeared very much, yet she was one of the most over wrestlers on the roster. It helps that for both of her initial appearances, her opponent was a-still-in-Scrappydom-Carmella, and being one of the more well-known "Local Talents" on NXT.

As a show, ''[[Wrestling/WWENXT NXT]]'' (especially post-competition) became the Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s EnsembleDarkhorse of the televised shows. Widely considered to be the best thing about WWE in TheNewTens, its less bloated and repetitive format compared to the main WWE roster is seen as a refreshment from what many fans saw as a rotting period for WWE otherwise. It comes to no surprise, then, that the show gave birth to [[EnsembleDarkhorse many beloved stars]].