#2 Aleister Black (2017)
Not only did Aleister Black beat Bobby Roode, Drew McIntyre, Andrade and Roderick Strong to the NXT Male Competitor of the Year award in 2017, but he was also named the brand’s Breakout Star of the Year ahead of Andrade, The Undisputed Era, Sonya Deville, Ruby Riott, Velveteen Dream and Lars Sullivan.
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“The Dutch Destroyer” began the year as NXT’s newest high-profile signing and he ended it with a victory over Velveteen Dream at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, earning both men the Rivalry of the Year award.
After holding the NXT Championship in 2018, Black moved to the main roster in 2019 and soon made his WrestleMania debut by teaming with Ricochet in a Fatal 4-Way Tag Team match for the SmackDown Tag Team titles.
Two years after his Breakout Star of the Year victory, it is fair to say that we have not seen the best of Black on the main roster yet in 2019. Granted, he has still appeared regularly throughout the year, but he has not featured in many meaningful storylines since leaving NXT.