Though it looked a little different on 10/10, as WWE booked an episode of their developmental television program as if it was WrestleMania – WrestleMania X/X, if you will – NXT has been on a roll as of late, with the promotion rolling back much of the 2.0 changes fans didn't like to produce something more familiar to fans who watched during the glory days of Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Alister Black.

Ratings are up, the top stars are hot as you-know-what, and even if they've been relying a bit too hard on the already established main roster stars for some folks' measure, the prospects of WWE establishing a legitimate third brand appear better than ever before, which, considering how the last few years have gone, wasn't always the case.

Sitting down for an interview with Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick on After The Bell, Ciampa reflected on how NXT has changed from the 2.0 era to now and how excited he is for the future.

“I actually stopped by the Performance Center (last week), and the vibe there, and the energy, it's exactly what it used to be. It had a tough stint, it had a tough time with 2.0, the adjustments, the color scheme changes, the vibe was different for a while. It's hungry again, it's competitive again, it's a team effort again. It was a really cool thing to see,” Tommaso Ciampa said via Fightful.

“I kept saying that to everybody down there. All the producers, coaches, Shawn [Michaels], Matt [Bloom], everybody. That crowd was as electric as anything I've ever seen for a taping. It was the first time watching where I was like, ‘This is a Black and Gold feel.' All these new talents and acts have now stepped past that point of being new, and they are developed, and they have a character and backstory and can connect. It was cool to see. It's cool to see Carmelo Hayes be a full package and cool to see Trick Williams break out like crazy over the last few months. Ilja Dragunov is next level. He is full package, ready to go. Toss that guy up tomorrow, and he's ready to deliver. [No Mercy] was an awesome show, awesome environment.”

Is Ciampa correct? While some may quibble around the corners, when compared to the general weirdness of NXT 2.0, this era is widely viewed as an improvement, yes. So, if you liked old NXT, maybe you should give the current show a try, as, according to Ciampa, it hits in a similar way.

Tommaso Ciampa believes OG fans of NXT would love the show now.

Continuing on with his conversations around NXT past and present, Tommaso Ciampa pleaded with fans who have maybe stopped watching the show when all of their favorite Superstars moved on to the main roster, AEW, or back on the indies, noting that unlike in his era, where most of the performers where known commodities, viewers now get a chance to really grow with the wrestlers and get in on the ground floor.

“This era, to me, is very similar to the first. We got to watch Sasha [Sasha Banks aka Mercedes Mone] and Bayley and so many others develop and then we got to be part of their greatness when they went from a little bit on the greener side, trying to figure out who they were, and then ‘Whoa, that Brooklyn match.' Within our generation, when we came in, Cesaro [aka Claudio Castagnoli], Sami Zayn, KO [Kevin Owens], us [Ciampa and Johnny Gargano], ERA [Undisputed ERA], we kind of defined ourselves a bit more on the independent scene, so when we got to NXT, you weren't seeing a finished product, but you were seeing guys and girls who knew who they were,” Ciampa noted.

“This new era, we got to watch Bron Breakker and Carmelo [Carmelo Hayes] develop. I love that and think it's fascinating to watch any talent go through the process. The process is so beautiful. Promo process, character process, in-ring work process, we're watching that process, and all of a sudden, you see them on a big stage, packed crowd, full of energy. You know light bulbs are going off. They are hungry.”

While there are still a few stars in NXT who are “known commodities,” as Brian Pillman Jr. just had a video package announcing his addition to the brand following an inconsistent run in AEW, many, if not most, of the brand's performers are incredibly early in their wrestling careers, with Tiffany Stratton going from a background player to an NXT Women's Champion in less than two years. If that sounds like something you want to see, maybe you should watch NXT.