Jacy Jayne Reveals Backstage Reaction To NXT 2.0 Rebrand In 2021 (Exclusive)

The black and gold era of NXT under the WWE banner from 2015-2020 featured some of the strongest wrestling shows of that time period. NXT Takeover events regularly were more critically acclaimed than main roster events and the top talent on the show was a who's who of the popular independent circuit at that time.

Momentum halted for the brand when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and by September of 2021, NXT as a whole was rebranded with new colors, new talent, a new vibe, and a brand new vision. NXT 2.0 was born.

In an interview with The Takedown on SI this week, the current NXT Women's Champion Jacy Jayne, talked about the NXT rebrand to NXT 2.0. Jayne was a face of that rebrand in the Toxic Attraction faction and was thrust onto television with a minimal introduction to the NXT audience.

"I feel like there was that shift and it was almost overnight. I think I was on TV for maybe two weeks before we switched to 2.0. I didn't really have a huge grasp on how things were working in black and gold, because I was very new.

I feel like I was learning everything for the first time, basically through 2.0 and it was different because it was people on TV that had just started wrestling -- who had no experience at all, and they're having like, their fifth, sixth match on TV, like, that's crazy. It was very different."
Jacy Jayne

The goal of NXT 2.0

Jayne said the priority of NXT 2.0 was introducing new characters to the show. Other current main roster stars like Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, and Joe Gacy were a part of the rebrand.

"It was about creating new characters. The brand at the time was a lot of indie wrestlers, or wrestlers that people had already known for a long time, and they're coming here and just putting on crazy matches. And then it shifted to people that you might not know, but you're gonna learn through character development.

We had so many great workers come out of 2.0 but it was very different. They re-did the arena, and we came in and it looked completely different. We were super colorful. All of a sudden some of the character storylines were very playful rather than serious. It was all very different."
Jacy Jayne

Toxic Attraction broke up when Mandy Rose was released from the company in December of 2022. Jayne tagged with Gigi Dolin for a short time after, but then broke off as a singles act.

Jayne became the NXT Women's Champion in May of this year. Jayne defeated Stephanie Vaquer to win the title on an episode of NXT on the CW Network. Jayne also became the TNA Knockouts Champion and was a double champion for much of the summer.

This weekend, Jayne will defend her NXT Women's Championship against Tatum Paxley. Halloween Havoc airs live on Peacock domestically and Netflix internationally on Saturday night from inside the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, Arizona.

Other announced matches for the show include Ricky Saints vs. Trick Williams for the NXT Championship, Zaria vs. Blake Monroe for the NXT Women's North American Championship, Je'Von Evans and Leon Slater vs. Mr. Iguana and La Parka, and more.

The Latest on WWE, AEW, & More

WWE SmackDown Preview (10/24/25): Start Time, Match Card, How to Watch & Live Stream

Chris Jericho Likely To Receive Big Money Offers From WWE And AEW

Recently Re-Signed WWE Superstar Reportedly Set For October 27 Return On Raw

Major Changes Made To WWE Halloween Havoc Card Tuesday Night On NXT