10 Ways WWE Rebuilt NXT In 2017
8. British Invasion
There's often a backhanded swipe concealed in the praise often heaped upon NXT's product. In crediting Triple H as the driving force behind such a creatively satisfying product, fans draw a comparison to main roster calamities still shepherded by Vince McMahon.
It's unfair (and potentially untrue) to suggest McMahon won't have any interest in the goings on at Full Sail University, but its likely that he's got a closer eye on that than he does his UK Championship.
Looking every bit the billionaire's latest abandoned toy, the buzz from January's two-night tournament had diminished by summer thanks to a thoughtless lack of follow-up, and a set of tepid tapings from Norwich couldn't halt the concept's decline. Fortunately, nobody seemed to tell the talent.
NXT's penultimate episode of 2017 hosted a Pete Dunne/Tyler Bate match almost as good as their TakeOver: Chicago match-of-the-year candidate, whilst tag and singles matches scattered throughout the year featuring Dunne, Bate, Trent Seven, Mark Andrews et al usually stole whichever show fortunate enough to house them.
If the worst case scenario for the title (and entire league) in 2018 is a rotating spot on the developmental brand, early evidence at least suggests the whole project won't have been a complete waste of time and resources.