NXT Legends Make Shocking Cameos Ahead Of Worlds Collide Event

Throughout WWE, champions come and go, while others never forget the importance of the legacies they've built along the way. These kinds of Superstars were on display during the final episode of NXT 2.0 before Sunday’s epic Worlds Collide event. 

There were many surprising cameos during the show, and they all came with a message.

“Don’t underestimate the moment.”

Finn Balor, the longest reigning NXT Champion of all time, made his presence known last night, visiting current champ Bron Breakker in his locker room. Balor told Breakker about the importance of the title that he currently holds, including the lineage, the prestige and the history behind it. Balor also offered some words of advice.

“Don’t underestimate your opponent.”

This was a direct reference to the man who will try to unify the NXT Championships from the United Kingdom’s side, Tyler Bate.

Does Balor know something Breakker doesn’t? Was Balor giving him more of a warning than advice? 

If words of wisdom from a man like Balor somehow weren't enough to stress the importance of winning on Sunday, maybe a chat with the man who Breakker originally beat for the title would do the trick.

Never did we think we’d see Ciampa, one of the greatest NXT Champions of all time, giving Breakker of all people a pep talk ahead of the biggest match of his career, but here we are. After stressing that he needs to win above all else, Ciampa left just as quickly as he came, leaving the champion with a lot to think about.

But the cameos didn’t stop there. 

NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose was also visited by an NXT legend – Shayna Baszler.

Mandy was treated to some tough love by Shayna, to say the least.

“If you don’t win on Sunday, everything you’ve said for the past year is garbage," Shayna said.

The look on the champion’s face as the legend walked away told the real story, In that moment, Mandy fully understood how high the stakes are as she attempts to unify the NXT and NXT UK Women’s Championships in a Triple Threat match. 

Will she take those blunt words to heart at Worlds Collide? Her 308-days-and-counting title reign will amount to just another statistic if she can’t pull off the victory. 

Throughout the night, even more Superstars returned to NXT to stress the importance of the upcoming event. Intercontinental Champion Gunther stopped by to give Tyler Bate words of support, as did Bate’s longtime rival Pete Dunne, who came in via FaceTime. Rhea Ripley had the ear of Blair Davenport and Alba Fyre caught up with Meiko Satomura. 

Perhaps the most impactful moment from last night’s episode came from a returning Superstar who had a challenge to make. 

When Carmelo Hayes finished airing his grievances in the ring about not having an opponent at Worlds Collide, the Capitol Wrestling Center was stunned as the lights went out. They exploded with excitement when Ricochet walked down the ring to confront Hayes and officially lay down the challenge at Worlds Collide!

Throughout the night, one thing became clear — Worlds Collide is going to be an absolute banger of a show. The seemingly endless parade of NXT legends returning to the show helped set the stakes for the massive event that will be Worlds Collide.

Now the Superstars competing in those main events know exactly the gravity of the situation. Whenever Superstars make the trip from RAW or SmackDown down to the CWC, you know it’s because it’s important. That’s why last night’s episode of NXT 2.0 was one of the most memorable shows in recent memory. 

After all, championships in WWE are the highest level one can reach in the sport of professional wrestling. To be the man or woman that unifies two different championships is an honor that many Superstars never get to experience.

On Sunday, two athletes will earn the right to receive that honor and the WWE Universe will be right there alongside them, chanting “you deserve it.”

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