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NXT Year in Review: Wrestlers of the Year

Brad Abel continues his look back at WWE NXT for 2021 with some individual awards in the US and the UK!

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Tommaso Ciampa NXT WWE

Brad Abel continues his look back at WWE NXT for 2021 with some individual awards in the US and the UK!

It’s time for individual awards.

WWE NXT UK Results: Pretty Deadly Successfully Defend WWE NXT UK Tag Team Champions, Joseph Conners Nabs Win Over Flash Morgan Webster - The Overtimer

NXT UK Tag Team of the Year: Pretty Deadly

The tag team division in NXT UK was arguably the most interesting and competitive division in all of NXT. Subculture, Mustache Mountain, Symbiosis, Ashton Smith & Oliver Carter, the Gallus Boys, and Jack Starz and Dave Mastiff all had excellent showings. The best of the bunch was Pretty Deadly. No team since the Revival has done more to bring back old school heel tactics than Sexy Sam and Luscious Louis. It’s just a matter of time before they are dominating on RawDown. 

WWE NXT: Perché i fans odiano gli MSK?

NXT Tag Team of the Year: MSK

What did I have to say about MSK this year:

“Win, lose or draw, I know they’re going to deliver.”

“The best curtain jerkers since the Hardy Boyz.”

“When MSK hits the stage, I can’t help but get excited.”

“In a place where the tag titles have always meant something, they are actually elevating them.”

And for good measure, they had tag team matches, a triple threat tag team match and a 6-man tag match all coming in at 4.5 stars or better. The sky is the limit for Nash Carter and Wes Lee.

Meiko Satomura Wins NXT UK Women's Championship

NXT UK Female Wrestler of the Year: Meiko Satomura

Wrestling is known for its longevity. The joke is nobody ever retires. That may be true, but very few wrestlers are putting on MOTY candidates in their 26th year. Even fewer can legitimately claim to be best in the world that deep into their career. Satomura is an international wrestling treasure. When she retires, I hope more American fans include her when they talk about the best female wrestlers of all time.

Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon -- NXT Women's Championship Match: photos | WWE

NXT Female Wrestler of the Year: Raquel Gonzalez

Big Mami Cool dominated 2021. She started the year with a definitive victory over Rhea Ripley, and the beatings never stopped. I love her Chingona Bomb. I love that sweet leather jacket she wears to the ring. I love her simple pre-match pose when she turns the belt around and flares those traps. I love that she never lost the belt to a painfully boring and obviously inferior Mandy Rose. Wait. She what? Son of a mother fu….  

Ilja Dragunov Claims NXT UK Is 'Untouchable'

NXT UK Male Wrestler of the Year: Ilja Dragunov

The first six months of 2021, Dragunov was the most compelling and interesting wrestler in all of NXT. His WALTER-induced spiral into madness was gripping. Watching him fight his demons felt very real. It’s been a long time since a soul that tortured has given us so many great matches in one year. Dunne. Dar. A Kid. Gradwell. WALTER. As good as he is, it’s crazy to think he’s only 28 and only get better.

WWE NXT: Tommaso Ciampa leads revamped brand as champion - Sports Illustrated

NXT Wrestler of the Year: Tommaso Ciampa

This feels like a last man standing award. He started 2021 with a MOTY candidate versus WALTER. He reinvigorated himself as a tag team guy with Timothy Thatcher. He ended as the NXT 1.0. the flag bearer, the final link to the Black & Gold Standard of professional wrestling. Anybody else who might have qualified has been 2.0’d. But make no mistake about it. Even if we still had Cole, Gargano, O’Reilly, Scott and the rest, the Blackheart has more than earned NXT Wrestler of the year, as well as…
WWE news, rumors: NXT TakeOver event replaced during Royal Rumble 2020 weekend in Houston - CBSSports.com

NXT Overall Performer of the Year: Tommaso Ciampa 

You deserve it. Clap clap clap clap clap.

You deserve it. Clap clap clap clap clap.

You deserve it. Clap clap clap clap clap.

Thanks for the memories.

Up next: Some very special NXT UK Awards

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Opinion

Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

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Wyatt Sicks WWE

Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.

It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions, 

The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight. 

This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail. 

The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions. 

After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama

gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania. 

It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company. 

We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!

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Opinion

Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns 

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WWE Jacob Fatu Roman Reigns Backlash

Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call. 

Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story. 

The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line. 

 In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years? 

Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus. 

I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?

Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!

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