10 Best WWE NXT Wrestlers Of 2017

9. Killian Dain

Johnny Gargano Brooklyn III
WWE.com

Killian Dain was deliriously entertaining in that aforementioned WarGames match: just a dictionary-definition awesome, absolute pleasure to watch.

He had already drawn glances for his killer old-school look and new age athleticism, with which he rose to the forefront of a stacked BritWres scene - but that incredible night in Houston finally made sense to the wider world his curious, one-off participation in WrestleMania 33's André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. He swallowed the key to the cage to firmly and hilariously establish himself as a badass, before clearing the ring with the Coast To Coast in one of the very best spots performed in a stupendous year. Before that, he modified his already deadly arsenal to throw men at other men and throw himself on and into two men at once, tapping the vein of sports entertainment at its spectacularly OTT best.

Elsewhere, Dain did much with little in a series of brutal squash matches calibrated to make '90s kids salivate. Dain is the spiritual heir to the short-form warlords of yore - but his lengthy WarGames stint exhibited his potential to do far, far better than that.

2017 was the low key Year Of The Hoss. WALTER, Braun Strowman and Killian Dain emerged as the unholy valedictorian trinity of that class.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!