10 Ways WWE Rebuilt NXT In 2017

7. Surprise Surprise

Johnny Gargano Tommaso Ciampa
WWE.com

In 2015, the WWE Network presented Breaking Ground as an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the life of an aspiring superstar as they navigated through NXT's parochial grind and the Performance Center's rigorous routines.

The series still provided insight into the competitive drive instilled in the talent even on the lowest rungs. It highlighted how the TakeOver events weren't just necessary storyline checkpoints in the model of WWE's monthly supershow system, but in fact crucial motivational tools in ensuring talent don't become complacent big fish in the company's tiniest pond.

Then-Women's Champion Bayley and soon-to-be-called-up Tyler Breeze both spoke of the importance of making every TakeOver show somehow or another, and what a slight it was to be overlooked. With the talent revolving door spinning faster than ever in 2017, anticipation dwindled for the events until the select recipients utilised the premium exposure to make themselves the new talking points.

Peyton Royce, Billie Kay, Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot exhibited individual excellence in multi-woman matches with Asuka on the shows, whilst Andrade 'Cien' Almas' down-and-up year on the cards exquisitely represented the character's chequered journey to the top.

Aleister Black remains the most obvious candidate to dethrone the Mexican Champion, but he too required the star-making night he experienced alongside Patrick Clark's Velveteen Dream persona during November's WarGames match. If either man ever receives their own Network Documentary treatment, it will be that incredible encounter dwelled upon as the night they took their biggest steps to superstardom.

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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