12 Ups And 15 Downs For WWE In 2016

Ups...

12. NXT TakeOvers

takeover tag
WWE.com

Once again, one of the major bright spots for WWE this year was its developmental territory, NXT, and the smaller brand’s periodic WWE Network specials.

In 2016, NXT put on four TakeOver specials, three of which coincided with major WWE PPVs (WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Survivor Series). Each TakeOver featured several quality matches that grew out of the ongoing NXT program on the Network. Each event produced at least one outstanding match that probably will end up on most fans’ top 10 lists. TakeOvers hosted the debuts of Shinsuke Nakamura, Austin Aries, Ember Moon and Bobby Roode, plus the return of Mickie James.

Even if you think the WWE product is stale and the PPVs are dull, NXT TakeOver specials continued to be a source of great entertainment for wrestling fans in 2016.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.