10 Best WWE NXT Wrestlers Of 2017

1. Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano Brooklyn III
WWE.com

Is there a better pure babyface in all of wrestling than Johnny Gargano?

Shawn Michaels' handsome stripper irked '90s WWF crowds. Times have changed in 2017, or Johnny Wrestling is far more likeable; TakeOver crowds took the pretty boy Gargano to their hearts with the obsessive clamour of a hormonal teenager, ignoring the (honourable mention) bad boy Tomasso Ciampa to throw their emotive weight behind his scorned former partner.

In an expertly-crafted story arc, they have been made to wait to consummate this passionate, symbiotic relationship; one of few performers with the currency and talent to pull off the losing streak angle, Gargano's authentic selling ability and perfectly-timed comebacks wrench elusive unpredictability from a by-design predictable booking pattern. Gargano's mastery of the convoluted, rapid 2017 in-ring mode has helped, obviously - but few fuse it with the emotion he engineers with such winning aplomb.

Prior to his singles run, Gargano somehow elevated an already sky-high superb NXT tag ranks with a spate of sublime performances rich in literary depth. The foreshadowing of the #DIY split; the threads of continuity picked up from the seminal Revival rivalry; the crazy, sympathy-generating bumps in his G.O.A.T-level luggage handling with the Authors of Pain: Gargano is writing his own grand story arc in WWE.

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 current Undisputed WWE 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!