10 Reasons Why January 2018 Was The Best Month In Wrestling History

5. NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia

Andrade Almas Ronda Rousey Chris Jericho
WWE

New Japan Pro Wrestling may now be launching annual assaults on WrestleMania as the most valuable brand in the industry, but are WWE inadvertently doing it from within with NXT? TakeOver: Philadelphia was the latest iteration of the developmental supercard to further cement its legacy as - at very least - the most reliable.

Shining never brighter than when they're given a stage subversively stifled by intentionally intimate lighting, the cast of characters present the peak of their powers every single time. And the most recent main event may have been the very best yet.

Dave Meltzer certainly thinks so. The Wrestling Observer boss awarded five stars to Johnny Gargano's failed run at Andrade 'Cien' Almas' NXT Title, and richly deserved they were too if snowflakes are a currency you value even half as much as simply enjoying the sh*t out of fantastic professional wrestling.

Because that's exactly what their match was. A masterclass in babyface selling, heel desperation, technical expertise and carefully-employed helpings of Sports Entertainment, it was everything WWE excels at when the system works for its talent rather than against them.

The undercard typically propped up the headliners Gorilla Monsoon wouldn't have to lie about calling a "main event any arena in the world", with Ember Moon, Shayna Baszler, Adam Cole and Aleister Black all producing the goods on their biggest nights yet again.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett