10 Most WTF Wrestling Moments Of 2021
WWE, AEW, ROH - pro wrestling made everyone shout "what the f*ck" in 2021.
The fact that 2021 is very nearly over is a big "WTF" moment in itself.
This year has flown past compared to 2020 (which, at times, felt like it might last forever). Viewed purely from within the wrestling bubble, that might be because fans finally returned en masse to arenas worldwide - both WWE and AEW welcomed large crowds back for TV and pay-per-view alike, and that definitely helped make things more enjoyable.
Behind the scenes though? Jesus. Behind the curtain was a bit of a car crash at times, especially in WWE. Vince McMahon's operation decided to ditch the talent-hoarding approach in favour of streamlining the roster. He wasn't the only one though; other promotions released absolutely everybody before announcing a winter hiatus.
2021 had epic comebacks nobody saw coming, releases that shocked the entire wrestling world, promotion-to-promotion jumps that would've seemed impossible a few years ago and more. Some wrestlers got new looks, AEW did some "hoarding" of their own, and WWE's women kicked the living sh*t out of one another.
Then, there were those promotional movie tie-ins that...yeah, they were "WTF" in a nutshell.
10. NXT 2.0
Who really saw this one coming?
NXT used to be what AEW is now. In other words, it was the counter-culture movement that offered something totally different to the "sports entertainment" on Raw or SmackDown. Fans tuning into TakeOvers could expect to see the best of the indy circuit collide under WWE's bright lights - it was polished without being too polished.
The place was Triple H's baby, but not anymore. Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard decided to take a closer look under the hood over the summer, and they didn't like what they were seeing. So, overhauling the place became a sudden priority. NXT's black and gold look was splashed with garish colours in September, and NXT 2.0 was born overnight.
Collectively, almost the entire fanbase saw slack-jawed at what was happening. NXT went from underground ROH-meets-New Japan wrestling brand to paint-soaked soap opera in a heartbeat, and few were prepared for it.