10 WWE Predictions We All Got Completely Wrong In 2017

5. NXT TakeOver Events Will Decline In Quality

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WWE.com

With November's 'War Games' supercard, NXT provided a viable contender for show of the year. With every single undercard match over-delivering in the run-up to a well booked violent return for the legendary NWA/WCW double cage combat zone, the developmental brand yet again built a virtually unassailable mountain for the main roster to climb 24 hours later.

Back in January, NXT couldn't compete with the star-studded Royal Rumble. TakeOver: San Antonio was an enjoyable enough show with an excellent Tag Team Title match in the middle, but it fell well short of the blockbuster Alamo Dome spectacular the next night.

With so many call-ups in 2016 to flesh out the newly-split Raw and SmackDown Live! rosters, it appeared as though NXT would finally be a victim of its own success, but the talent churn astonishingly rebounded to deliver hit after hit for the remainder of the year.

At various points throughout 2017, angle and matches for the Heavyweight, Women's AND Tag Titles have all warranted top billing and premium attention, with at least one of each stealing match-of-the-night honours in the process. November's show was stolen lock stock by a world class Aleister Black/Velveteen Dream scorcher, highlighting the value of the spotlight as much as the straps.

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Contributor

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