Euphoric from the incredible nearfall teases and immensely gratifying result, fans and wrestlers flooded the ring to celebrate Rhea Ripley's remarkable win as NXT supplied a babyface visual to say goodbye to the 2010s in inimitable style.
It was as though all the villagers had gathered to toast the slaying of the dragon - Baszler's iconic stint as champion had done so much to maintain the lofty credibility of North America's most prestigious title.
High as f*cking kites from the main event's absorbing final third, the rank-and-file and select audience members threatened to break the beautiful black-and-gold ring as the last live NXT of the year went off the air. Even Mauro's references to mosh pits weren't without merit. Bless us, one and all.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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
