NXT's only involvement in this list (because if allowed, it'd fill the entire "Up" section), a SmackDown invasion in early November kickstarted the black-and-gold brand's first inclusion in the typical brand warfare angle that engulfs WWE every November.
For all the stupidity required to get the daft bullsh*t off the ground, NXT somehow managed to remain credible. Full Sail's doors were briefly opened to the red and blue rosters, with fabulous consequences.
On the night itself, the black-and-gold-brand "won" the show whilst several of its stars survived the excesses of the main roster booking. Stories remained tight before and after the event, with NXT's ratings boosted by the experience overall. Strategic or otherwise, this was one of the company's biggest success stories of the year.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 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. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, 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
