10 Reasons why 2018 was the best year in NXT history
Although 2018 has come and gone, it's interesting to look back at what a year it was in the WWE NXT Universe. From the beginning, the black and yellow brand experienced turns and twists (converting from a poorly-rated reality show to a well-respected developmental brand) as well as peaks and valleys (the high times when Sami Zayn and Bayley were the top stars and the low point after the WWE Draft depleted a good portion of the roster). Fortunately, 2017 marked the start of a new era where things would begin to improve and the product would more closely follow Triple H's vision of personifying a sort of underground punk rock aesthetic that stands in stark contrast to the main roster's Top 40 pop sensibilities.
By focusing on simple storytelling and fostering a 'less is more' strategy that allowed its top stars to put on incredible athletic performances in exchange for a less demanding schedule than the main roster, NXT quickly become the apple in modern wrestling fans' eyes in 2014. This was solidified the following year when 16,000 fans filled Brooklyn's Barclays Center for the first arena-sized Takeover special. However, something along the way got lost and by Takeover: San Antonio in early 2017, it became clear that the product wasn't quite living up to its potential. The weekly show was rubbish, the storytelling anemic, the booking creatively bankrupt and the Takeover specials, while still good, were gradually trailing off in quality. The aftermath of Takeover: Orlando marked the beginning of a return to form, and by Takeover: Brooklyn III on Summerslam weekend it was clear that a rocket had been strapped on and NXT was ready for liftoff into the stratosphere again.
In 2018, the stars finally aligned for a full calendar year, as not only did the brand make a full comeback but very much surpassed its previous peak in 2015 across the checklist of match quality, character/storyline development, and all-around consistency. Even TV announcer Mauro Ranallo has recently stated that 2018 was NXT's best year, and given the sheer depth of awesomeness the brand has come to represent, it's hard to disagree.
These are the top 10 reasons why 2018 was the best year in NXT history.
10. Homegrown talent got the spotlight again
The original purpose behind NXT was to follow in the footsteps of previous WWE developmental territories OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) and FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling) - that is, to train rookies from scratch. Early episodes of the weekly show going back to 2012-13 feature this very idea as new trainees performed in a small Tampa, Florida venue with decent wrestling and character work before the creation of the Performance Center and subsequent move to Orlando. However, with the signing of ready-to-go wrestlers like Kassius Ohno, Finn Balor, Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn, this idea got lost somehow and NXT gradually became a magnet for various top names from the indies, Japan, TNA and ROH. Guys that only needed to learn TV camera angles and have their style tweaked a bit before they could achieve success.
In 2018, homegrown talent with little or no outside experience made a roaring comeback. Velveteen Dream, Bianca Belair, Lacey Evans, Heavy Machinery, Lars Sullivan and the Street Profits all did well in terms of athleticism, character work and/or creating memorable moments. Lacey Evans' Southern Belle persona and trilogy of matches with Kairi Sane and the Street Profits' crowd-engaging charismatic antics and high-energy entrances both made their mark. Heavy Machinery's Chris Farley-like comedic segments (i.e. Otis Dozovic hilariously referring to Tomasso Ciampa as "Tomato Champs") and recent quality tag matches with Forgotten Sons and Undisputed Era also helped them stand out, but it would Velveteen Dream who'd shine brighter than the rest. The Prince-influenced, ex-Tough Enough contestant's amazing ascent into main event status after holding his own in promos and matches with older, much more experienced guys proved unequivocally that homegrown Performance Center stars could absolutely compete with their indie counterparts.