10 Best WWE NXT Wrestlers Of 2017
8. Drew Mcintyre
Among the more rigid pockets of the wrestling (read: WWE) fandom, the rehiring of Drew McIntyre was met with raised eyebrows - but then, those eyes weren't trained on the Celtic Colossus' redemptive and riveting tour of the Independent circuit. The lanky, slim McIntyre was reborn as the thick, imposing Drew Galloway - a believable and awe-inspiring sh*t-kicker who added a new flavour of intense physicality to the high spot-centric, technical "graps" scene of his home island.
Others dealt in his bruising style, but none did it with the presence and quality of Drew, who lit up NXT with a series of crunching matches - the best of which was a wincing affair with Oney Lorcan. Drew manhandled him with a smooth strand of brute strength, plucking the man from positions of midair velocity to widespread gasps from a seduced Full Sail audience.
Very quickly, McIntyre reassumed the Chosen One mantle and captured the top prize from the departing Bobby Roode in a very good, if very WWE match - before rocketing up the pace in a more dynamic and dramatic - albeit depressing - botched title loss to Andrade 'Cien' Almas at TakeOver: Brooklyn III.
"I always come back better," said Drew ahead of his surgery-enforced layoff. Given his form throughout 2016 and 2017, that is an immense prospect.