WWE NXT initially debuted in 2010 as a seasonal show which was presented as a hybrid between WWE's scripted live event shows and reality television, in which talent from WWE's developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) participated in a competition to become WWE's next "breakout star", with the help of mentors from WWE's Raw and SmackDown brands. Five seasons of this iteration were broadcast, with Wade Barrett, Kaval, Kaitlyn, and Johnny Curtis being announced as winners, and the last season ending without a resolution.
Season 1
The first season of NXT began airing on Syfy on February 23, 2010 and ended on June 1, 2010. The majority of the season one cast was revealed a week before the premiere on the series finale of ECW. However, before the season's premiere aired Skip Sheffield's Pro was changed with William Regal replacing the announced Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP). Near the end of the season, several changes were made to the original plan of the format. The season was shortened from the planned 17 episodes to 15 episodes. In the first elimination episode that aired on May 11, both Daniel Bryan and Michael Tarver were eliminated by WWE management and removed from that night's Pros' Poll after both made comments about wanting to be voted off. The show ended with three eliminations, with Sheffield ranked last in the Poll. Carlito was released on May 21 for refusing rehab after violating WWE's Wellness Program. Subsequent Pros' Polls were held without him for the rest of the season. The winner of season one was Wade Barrett. Immediately after the conclusion of season one, the Rookies were used in a storyline that had them forming an alliance called The Nexus. Led by Barrett, the group invaded the June 7, 2010 episode of Raw following the conclusion of season one in an attempt to gain WWE contracts for the losers of NXT. The invasion consisted of the group attacking John Cena as well as other wrestlers and WWE personnel. Barrett announced that he would invoke his title shot at Night of Champions for the WWE Championship in a six-pack elimination challenge. At Night of Champions on September 19, Barrett lost in his title match to Randy Orton.
Contestants
Poll results
– Winner of competition
– Safe in competition
– Eliminated from competition by Pros' Poll
– Eliminated from competition by WWE management
– Won immunity prior to that particular poll and is ineligible to be eliminated
Season 2
The second season of NXT started on June 8, 2010 and ended on August 31, 2010. The season 2 cast was revealed on the first season finale on June 1. The season was originally planned to last 12 weeks. However, it was later extended to 13 weeks. In this season, the polls were different as rankings were based half on Pro votes and half on votes from fans via WWE's official website. The first poll was shown on July 6. Originally, the polls format was set to match the previous season, with a non-elimination poll followed by weekly elimination polls on July 27. However, the first poll was made a surprise elimination round on the night with a second elimination poll held on August 3 instead. In addition, a double elimination stipulation was added to the fourth NXT poll on August 17. The winner of the season was Kaval. Along with Kaval, Alex Riley was immediately promoted to aid his Pro The Miz on the Raw brand. On November 21, Kaval invoked his title shot at Survivor Series for the Intercontinental Championship against the reigning champion Dolph Ziggler, but he was defeated. Kaval was released from his contract in December 2010.