What's the story?
The NXT 2017 Year-End Awards were presented during the TakeOver: Philadelphia pre-show. They were handed out by Renee Young and Corey Graves backstage. The announcements saw NXT fans take to Twitter to vote for their favourite wrestlers and matches in different categories.
In case you didn't know...
This year was the third-straight-year NXT recognised members of its roster for their performances during the previous year. The NXT Year-End results were decided by a hashtag vote on Twitter by the fans.
The heart of the matter
Aleister Black and Asuka dominated the 2017 awards. The following are the categories and the results of the NXT Year-End Awards.
Overall NXT Competitor of Year Award:
Winner: Asuka
Other Nominees:
- Bobby Roode
- Drew McIntyre
- Aleister Black
- Andrade Cien Almas
- Roderick Strong
- Ember Moon
- Iconic Duo
- Nikki Cross
- Ruby Riott
Rivalry of the Year:
Winner: Aleister Black vs Velveteen Dream
Other Nominees:
- Kassius Ohno vs Hideo Itami
- #DIY vs Authors of Pain
- Tyler Bate vs Pete Dunne
- SAnitY vs Undisputed ERA
- Ember Moon vs Asuka
- Shinsuke Nakamura vs Bobby Roode
Male Competitor of the Year:
Winner: Aleister Black
Other Nominees:
- Andrade 'Cien' Almas
- Bobby Roode
- Roderick Strong
- Drew McIntyre
Breakout Star of the Year:
Winner: Aleister Black
Other Nominees:
- Undisputed Era
- Sonia Deville
- Ruby Riott
- Velveteen Dream
- Lars Sullivan
- Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Zelina Vega
Female Competitor of the Year:
Winner: Asuka
Other Nominees:
- Nikki Cross
- Ember Moon
- Ruby Riott
- Iconic Duo
Match of the Year:
Winner: Tyler Bate vs Pete Dunne (WWE UK Championship Match at NXT Takeover: Chicago)
Other Nominees:
- Asuka vs Ember Moon (NXT Women's Championship Match, Takeover: Brooklyn III)
- Johnny Gargano vs Andrade 'Cien' Almas (Takeover: Brooklyn III)
- Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (NXT Championship Match, TakeOver: WarGames)
- #DIY vs. The Revival vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination Match, TakeOver: Orlando)
- SAnitY vs. Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong vs. Undisputed ERA (TakeOver: WarGames)
- Asuka vs. Nikki Cross (NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match, NXT TV, June 28, 2017)
- #DIY vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match, TakeOver: Chicago)
- Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Roode (NXT Championship Match, NXT TV, July 5, 2017)
- NXT Women’s Championship Qualifying Battle Royal (NXT TV, Oct. 25, 2017)
- Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream (TakeOver: WarGames)
- Johnny Gargano vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT TV, Dec. 6, 2017)
Tag Team of the Year:
Winner: SAnitY
Other Nominees:
- Authors of Pain
- The Revival
- #DIY
- Undisputed Era
Future Star of the Year:
Winner: Cezar Bononi
Other Nominees:
- Street Profits
- Heavy Machinery
- Shayna Baszler
- Kairi Sane
- Fabian Aichner
- Lio Rush
- Bianca Belair
- Lacey Evans
Takeover of the Year:
Winner: Wargames
Other Nominees:
- San Antonio
- Orlando
- Brooklyn III
- Chicago
What's next?
2018 looks promising so far as NXT goes with the new signings of Ricochet, EC3, Candice LeRae and War Machine. NXT Takeover: Philadelphia was an amazing start to the year.
Author's take
Aleister Black dominated the 2017 NXT year-end awards and looks set to have an amazing 2018 after his Extreme Rules match against Adam Cole.
Many of these stars may also make a transition to the main roster.
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