Best (And Worst) Of NXT 2016

Surprises don't happen a lot in NXT, but this year was full of them. The Revival winning two NXT Tag Team Championships was unheard of earlier this year, as well as the call-up of Apollo Crews and Enzo and Cass after WrestleMania. But there was one surprise that I think really shook up NXT, and that came during the last NXT TakeOver in Toronto.

In a move that asked more questions than anything else, Samoa Joe beat Shinsuke Nakamura to win the NXT Championship for the second time. This does two things to NXT's narrative. Firstly, no longer do you need to go to the main roster once you drop the championship to someone else. Joe has been in NXT for a couple of years now, and it looks like he could continue to be there for a lot longer (though not likely).

The second thing it does is humanize Nakamura: he can lose. Sure, Joe gave him a low blow before the Muscle Buster, but a pin is a pin. Nakamura isn't undefeated anymore, so it is possible to see him actually lose to someone if the time is right.

Of course, NXT Osaka reversed the decision and Nakamura is the champion again, but his record still stands.