In 2017, NXT opportunistically rebounded from the loss of virtually the entire headline crew thanks to the main roster's 2016 roster split. Elevating a host of new stars in time for a nine-man TakeOver main event in November and previously-buried Andrade 'Cien' Almas ending the year as the roster's third brand new Champion. Lingering in the background too, the brand incubated perhaps the best feud in all of wrestling despite the rivalry's heel going down injured immediately after turning on his beloved babyface partner.
Keen to continue on from a fabulously successful TakeOver: WarGames card, the company kicked off 2018 in a brand new surround. Full Sail University earned a much-needed respite as NXT arrived at the legendary Center Stage for a month of action guiding the characters and angles all the way to January 27th's TakeOver: Philadelphia.
A feast of fun with little filler in WCW-esque power hour, the troop looked in rude health. July will mark six years since operations were switched to Florida to completely reimagine WWE's deeply problematic system. Though talents don't always shine when they leave, the joyous glow around them on NXT thankfully hasn't remotely dulled.
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
