Review for WWE: Best of NXT 2017

If you have never seen NXT before then you are missing out. Practically every major star from the past five or so years has come from NXT which is WWE's training and developmental ground. Previous people have included the likes of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Paige, Charlotte and many more.

For those who think they need to wait for them to be called up to enjoy their work then you really need to catch the NXT shows and PPVs which is generally regarded as the best wrestling ever. The Best of NXT 2017 features the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, Booby Roode, Asuka and #DIY amongst others who (if they haven't already) will no doubt e making their impact on the main WWE roster in 2018.

What I loved about this set is the mix of match types that makes the whole thing not feel like I am just watching the same match or type of match over and over again. It includes 22 matches from the NXT TV show and PPVs.
It is interesting watching NXT when you see the matches and moments from the TV show which is filmed in front of a few hundred people and so there is a very intimate feel to this. In some ways this reminds me of the old ECW shows or even TNA when it started and you can tell that the fans are there because they love wrestling and love everyone on the NXT roster. Later when they perform in the bigger PPV arenas you can see just how big and how popular the product is that they can sell out their own PPVs.

There are also a number of extra moments from the TV shows including a great tribute to Corey Graves who had his career cut short by injury, but has gone on to be one of the best commentators in the business and it is such a shame that this is the case.

It features NXT Championship Match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode. It is a shame that they don't include more of Nakamura, but this match is definitely one to show why they are both on the main roster now. Shinsuke's farewell is also great and basically any time I get a chance to hear a crowd chant along to his music is a good time for me.

Anytime Asuka is in the ring it is a sight to behold. Her match against Peyton Royce is short, but sweet and a nice introduction if you have not seen any of Asuka before. She has a Last Women Standing match against Nikki Cross probably shouldn't have been a TV match and maybe in a PG era it doesn't work as a concept, but it is still a brutal match. Her Farewell tribute is also great to see.

The cage match between Eric Young and Tye Dillinger is great. I was never a fan of Eric Young from TNA, but his work in NXT has been a breath of fresh air and just a lot more confident and enjoyable because of this.

The tag team #DIY are featured a number of times and they are definitely a tag team to watch out for as are the SAnitY stable including Eric Young who are wonderful. The ladder match between The Authors of Pain and #DIY is a sight to behold. There is also a fantastic 8-Person Mixed Tag match between SanitY against Roderick Strong, Kassius Ohno, Tye Dillinger and Ruby Riot. The talent on show in this match was just amazing and this was definitely a highlight for me.

Included is the United Kingdom Championship match between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunn which is just pitch perfect and though I preferred the original crowning of Bate as the first champion (which they do have highlights from) this was a great match nonetheless and it was voted NXT Match of the Year.

There are two great matches from NXT Champion Drew McIntyre against Adam Cole (with Shawn Michaels as Special Referee) and against Andrade 'Cien' Almas. Both are great for different reasons and all three are definitely people to keep an eye on for the future.

When NXT reintroduced Wargames I was sceptical, but it really did work with the fantastic match between Undisputed Era vs. Sanity vs. Roderick Strong & Authors of Pain. The match was originally created by Dusty Rhodes for WCW and was generally regarded as either the best or worst concept depending on who was in the match. The main issue is that until everyone is in the match none of the action matters other than to try and incapacitate your opponents. This match worked because the action was just relentless and ongoing throughout.

Best of NXT 2017 is proof that WWE should release a set like this every year. I would probably say there is enough material for another disk or so as there are no doubt matches and moments missing. I think it would be good for WWE to take note of NXT and combine their PPV and TV sets into one 'Best of' set as this was much more enjoyable than watching two separate ones. If you are not aware of NXT then I would suggest you buy this set and enjoy some of the best wrestling action I have seen in a long time.