10 Reasons Why January 2018 Was The Best Month In Wrestling History
8. NXT Takes Center Stage
A fresh coat of paint to kick off a brand new year for the developmental brand, old WCW stomping ground Center Stage offered a welcome break from Full Sail University for NXT.
In the same way the Impact Zone gradually because equal parts blessing and curse for TNA during the days they looked even remotely like competition to WWE, the NXT regulars that once added emotion to even the driest affair have since taken to orally abandoning the hottest of contests. It's become a tricky balancing act for the company in terms of maintaining a prosperous relationship with the brand's home base and damaging the perception of their latest crop of future stars.
There are only 50 miles separating the two venues, but the Center Stage fans felt a 'universe' apart from the typical crowd. Their energy infused every pre-TakeOver: Philadelphia rivalry with a vigour the company have found tough to recapture after Christmas breaks in years past.
There have been fewer taping cycles in the last two years so unanimously well received, and the change of scenery cannot be just brushed off as a creative coincidence. Hopefully more than just a one-and-done, the group indulging in further use of the venue in the months ahead would almost certainly have a similar - ahem - impact.