10 Best WWE NXT Wrestlers Of 2017

8. Drew Mcintyre

Johnny Gargano Brooklyn III
WWE.com

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.

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!