10 Ways WWE Rebuilt NXT In 2017

1. Keep On Keeping On

The choppiest waters NXT ever has to navigate through are not waves generated by the brand's own tumult. The winds of change that blow through WWE's main roster with scatty regularity are at a moment's notice prone to do damage to the Orlando group, but the brand bosses are card-sharp enough to have five aces up their sleeves at all times.

Just tracking the journey of the NXT Title over the past few years paints the neatest picture of how durable the brand remains. Kevin Owens' last act as an NXT star was losing conclusively to new Champion Finn Bálor, who in turn proudly carried the gold until his abdication several months later to Samoa Joe. From Joe leaving for Raw to Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode departing for SmackDown Live! up to and possibly including Drew McIntyre at TakeOver: Brooklyn 3, the belt itself has been the final step towards main roster prominence exactly as it should be.

Drew's own loss at TakeOver: WarGames was extenuated by the injury he suffered late on, but his time in Full Sail was perhaps destined to be short regardless. Adam Cole and Aleister Black seem earmarked for TakeOver topliners, as the reshuffled main event scene finally takes shape. Its to NXT's eternal credit that new avenues such as these are so consistently discovered.

Michael Hamflett

Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. 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

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