We are twelve days away from NXT Takeover San Antonio, and with that, it is now time for the 2016 NXT Year-End Awards. Triple H took to Twitter this morning to announce that voting would be opening today, with the winners to be announced on the one-hour pre-show to NXT Takeover San Antonio on Saturday, January 28th.
We’re going to look at each category and break them down based on who I think deserves to win the award, and then who I think will win the award.
NXT Takeover of the Year
Nominees:
NXT Takeover DallasNXT Takeover TorontoNXT Takeover The EndNXT Takeover Back 2 Brooklyn
The Takeover events are really what NXT fans look forward to the most throughout the year. While each Takeover special had entertaining matches and great moments, we feel that one stood out above the rest.
Featuring a molten hot crowd, NXT Takeover Dallas was full of tremendous matches, great moments, new champions, the introduction of Strong Style, and a farewell to an NXT Legend.
That’s not to say that anything should be taken away from the other three Takeover shows, but Takeover Dallas was just such a complete show from top-to-bottom that I really feel that this category will come to a foregone conclusion.
Should Win: NXT Takeover DallasWill Win: NXT Takeover Dallas
NXT Tag Team of the Year
Nominees:
American AlphaAuthors of PainTM-61The Revival#DIY
While the women’s division was the story of the year in 2015, the tag team division was the standout division in NXT in 2016. Featuring several Match Of The Year candidates, NXT’s tag team division was on fire, from the start of the year to the end.
American Alpha was on absolute fire from the end of 2015 on through their coronation as Tag Team Champions at NXT Takeover Dallas. They had tremendous matches regardless of their opponents, and are now tearing it up on SmackDown Live as the Tag Team Champions of the blue brand.
The Authors of Pain had a pretty good year, as well. They made a statement when they introduced themselves to the WWE Universe by attacking American Alpha, and subsequently defeating the former Tag Team Champions.
They would then go on to win the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and are now headed on a collision course against #DIY for the Tag Team Championships at Takeover San Antonio.
TM-61 didn’t really take off like a lot of people thought they would. They finished 2016 by losing in the Finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic to the Authors of Pain. I’d call this a “bridesmaid” year for them.
The Revival had an amazing year and stayed true to their name by reviving the NXT Tag Team Division. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder had tremendous matches in 2016 with American Alpha, #DIY, and the team of Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy.
#DIY got a team name and ended the year by becoming NXT Tag Team Champions. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had two of the best tag team matches that I’ve ever seen in my life against The Revival in 2016, and are thus far continuing to be impressive in 2017.
I think this category is less cut-and-dry, when it comes to the fan vote. In my eyes, the case is pretty open and shut.
You can’t have a great tag team division without tremendous heel champions that people want to see get defeated. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder filled that role twice in 2016 and played it to perfection.
They were part of numerous incredible tag-team wrestling matches. They remained heels and continued to get booed in a day and age where it’s, “cool,” to cheer for the heels.
Hats off to them for their 2016, and they should win this award. I feel like this is a three-team race between them, #DIY, and American Alpha for who will win the award. Seeing as people actually hate The Revival, I think they end up losing out to #DIY.
Who Should Win: The RevivalWho Will Win: #DIY
NXT Breakout of the Year
Nominees:
Peyton Royce and Billie KayAndrade “Cien” AlmasEmber MoonNo Way JoseSAnitY This category is the most up-in-the-air of all award categories, in my opinion. Peyton Royce and Billie Kay only really just started coming into their own as characters recently. Andrade “Cien” Almas had a tremendous 2016 from an in-ring perspective, but he’s just now coming into his own as a character.
Ember Moon is incredible in the ring, but she only just debuted at Takeover: Brooklyn and hasn’t been on NXT TV as much as I would have liked for someone who is supposedly the heir apparent to Asuka.
No Way Jose knows who he is from an in-ring standpoint and a character standpoint, but he hasn’t really had a breakout year. He had a really good match with Austin Aries at Takeover: Brooklyn but hasn’t done much of note since.
SAnitY didn’t even finish out 2016 with the same line-up they had when they started in September. They’re an interesting stable concept, but I’ve got to see more before I can justify this type of award for them.
Out of the nominees, I’d say Andrade Almas should win. I think the fan-vote will give it to Ember Moon
Who Should Win: Andrade AlmasWho Will Win: Ember Moon
NXT Female of the Year
Nominees:
AsukaNia JaxBayleyThis is another category where I feel that the winner is a slam dunk. Asuka won the NXT Women’s Championship from Bayley at NXT Takeover Dallas and has run roughshod over the division since then.
How they’ve built Asuka is the way you build a dominant Superstar. Have them talk as little as possible, and clean out their respective division. The booking team for the main roster could learn a lesson.
There’s a small chance that the fans could vote for Bayley to win, but I really think Asuka is popular enough to win, and she deserves it.
Who Should Win: AsukaWho Will Win: Asuka
NXT Male of the Year
Nominees:
Samoa JoeFinn BalorShinsuke NakamuraBobby Roode
All four of these men had tremendous years in different ways.
Samoa Joe spent most of the year chasing the NXT Championship. He won the title from Finn Balor at an NXT Live Event in Lowell, Massachusetts. He defended the title successfully until he ran up against Shinsuke Nakamura at Takeover: Back 2 Brooklyn.
He would win the championship back at Takeover: Toronto, then lose the title back to Nakamura a few weeks later in Osaka, Japan. His character work in 2016 as a vicious, dominant heel was some of the best work of his career.
Finn Balor came into the year as NXT Champion and held the title until losing it to Samoa Joe. He was drafted to Monday Night Raw as the fifth overall pick in the brand extension draft on July 19th.
Shinsuke Nakamura debuted in NXT with a five-star match against Sami Zayn at Takeover: Dallas, and has been on a roll ever since. He quickly became the most popular Superstar in NXT and one of the most popular Superstars in all of the WWE Universe.
Bobby Roode made his in-ring debut at NXT Takeover: Back 2 Brooklyn, and has already had two Hall of Fame entrances in his two Takeover appearances. He has brought his career to an entirely new level with the “Glorious” gimmick.
While each man had a great year, Shinsuke Nakamura has been what people think of when they think of NXT since his arrival. It’s almost like the match against Sami Zayn really was a passing of the torch moment. The King of Strong Style should win this award, and I think he will.
Who Should Win: Shinsuke NakamuraWho Will Win: Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Competitor of the Year
Nominees:
Samoa JoeBayleyFinn BalorAsukaShinsuke NakamuraNia JaxBobby Roode
Considering the previous two award categories, this ultimately comes down to Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka. While both had tremendous years, I feel like Shinsuke Nakamura is a much more popular Superstar and will take this award as well.
Who Should Win: Shinsuke NakamuraWho Will Win: Shinsuke Nakamura
NXT Match of the Year
Nominees:
Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TV, July 13, 2016)Asuka vs. Mickie James (NXT Takeover: Toronto)American Alpha vs. The Revival (NXT Takeover: The End)Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT Takeover: Dallas)Bayley vs. Asuka (NXT Takeover: Dallas)Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT TV, February 17, 2016)Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Steel Cage Match, NXT Takeover: The End)#DIY vs. The Revival (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT Takeover: Toronto)Bayley vs. Nia Jax (NXT TV, July 20, 2016)Tye Dillinger vs. Bobby Roode (NXT Takeover: Toronto)Finn Balor vs. Neville (NXT TV, March 2, 2016)Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe (NXT Takeover: Toronto)American Alpha vs. The Revival (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT TV, July 6, 2016)
The nominee list is a testament to how good the in-ring product was in NXT during 2016. I agree with the list, outside of some glaring omissions that I feel deserved to make the list. American Alpha vs. The Revival at NXT Takeover: Dallas and Bayley vs. Asuka at the same event were both stellar and deserved to be in this group, but it was not to be.
Out of what is on the list, two matches stick out to me above all the others.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura was about as perfect of a professional wrestling match as you could have, given the story coming in. Sami Zayn had been the face of NXT since 2013. He had lost his bid to become the first ever two-time NXT Champion and was now taking on NXT’s hot new free agent signing in Shinsuke Nakamura.
The match has to be seen to be believed, and it was the perfect introduction to NXT for Nakamura, as well as the perfect farewell for Sami Zayn.
The Revival vs. #DIY bout from Takeover: Toronto was the best tag-team wrestling match I’ve ever seen in my life. There were several call-backs to their previous matches, they built the drama well by #DIY going down 1-0 early and then clawing back to tie it up and ultimately pick up the win.
The crowd was into this match from the beginning, and you could see genuine emotion on the faces of the fans, as well as on the faces of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa when they finally won.
As long as the winner is one of those two matches, I don’t think a wrong choice has been made. I rated both as five-star matches, and I honestly can’t decide which one I like better. I think the tag team match will win, just because it was more recent and was WWE.com’s 2016 Match of the Year.
Should win: Nakamura vs Zayn OR The Revival vs. #DIYWill win: The Revival vs. #DIY
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