10 Reasons why 2018 was the best year in NXT history

9. The commentary was Class-A all year

Ranallo during his 'priceless' match-calling at Takeover: New Orleans

Though Tom Philips was a fine, solid commentator during his tenure in NXT and Corey Graves went on to become one of the best new announcers WWE has had in years, the debut of Mr. Combat Sports Mauro Ranallo in mid-2017 took NXT announcing duties to a higher plateau. Hand-picked by Triple H following a brief leave from WWE due to a rumored personal issue with JBL and displeasure over the cutthroat work environment fostered by Vince McMahon on the main roster, Ranallo signed on to be exclusive to NXT, answering only to Hunter and NXT producer Michael Cole, in the weeks before Takeover: Brooklyn III. This proved to be an excellent move as Ranallo's intense, passionate play-by-play, which emphasizes calling matches move-for-move whilst intermixing pop culture references, made NXT all the more compelling to watch.

Ranallo's fierce, vociferous commentary is polarizing to some, but for hardcore, passionate fans of wrestling, he is the perfect representative to call the action, in contrast to the main roster's relatively subdued announcing style. The addition of retired British wrestling legend Nigel McGuiness to NXT commentary was another well-received change, and while Percy Watson's initial 2017 start was rough, he dramatically improved in 2018 and has more than proven he belongs at the table by contributing a sense of genuine enthusiasm for the product.