Opinion
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!
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.

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.

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.

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.

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….

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.

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…
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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
Chairshot Radio Network
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TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
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SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
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Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Is Brock Lesnar Truly Retired?
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
Brock Lesnar retired at WWE WrestleMania 42, right? Are we totally sure? Chris King asks…
At WrestleMania 42, ‘The Beast Incarnate’ Brock Lesnar took off his boots and gloves following his loss to Oba Femi. Lesnar has done it all inside of his twenty-four-year career in professional wrestling. He’s a ten-time WWE Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and he’s one who ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.
While Lesnar was in the ring, he was visibly overwhelmed with emotion and crying while he thanked the fans in his own way. The Beast even threw up an x to signal to Paul Heyman, his longtime friend and advocate, that this was not scripted and was real. There had been rumors that Lesnar and Oba were supposed to have a series of matches before everything went down at Mania.
‘The Career Killer’ Gunther was doing Heyman’s bidding as he faced Seth Rollins for a favor. For a while now since Gunther retired Goldberg, John Cena, and AJ Styles, the rumor has been Gunther was set to retire Lesnar in his hometown at this year’s SummerSlam event. There’s been no confirmation if Lesnar is truly retired, but on this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, we saw Heyman talking with General Manager Nick Aldis. Later that night following Rhodes’ match against the debuting Ricky Saints, Gunther choked out the WWE Champion. Could this be the favor from Heyman?
I know in the world of professional wrestling we live by the mantra of “never say never,” but what if Lesnar is actually retired and this was WWE’s way of shutting down those rumors about Gunther and Lesnar? What if Gunther’s next program is chasing after the WWE title, and where is Randy Orton at in all of these plans? There are so many questions that need to be answered, hopefully soon!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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Opinion
Chris King: Defend The Intercontinental Championship At Backlash!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
With WWE Backlash upon us, Chris King wants to see Penta defend the Intercontinental Championship in Tampa!
This year’s annual Backlash showcase is only a few days away, and while there are many big matches announced, one that definitely should be isn’t on the card. In my opinion, outside of Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu and Seth Rollins/Bron Breakker, the Intercontinental Championship scene has been stellar over the last month.
Penta has been an excellent champion, especially after his triumphant title defense in a ladder match against JeVon Evans, Rusev, Dragon Lee, and the Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 42. Their ladder match at Mania was one of the best that WWE has produced in a while.
The momentum never stopped, as on the post-Mania episode of Monday Night Raw, ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page made his debut and was quickly inserted into the Intercontinental title scene. Page had a fantastic showing against his longtime NXT rival Evans and picked up a big win in his debut match thanks to an assist from Rusev.
All Ego immediately joined forces with ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ Rusev, who was also vying for the Intercontinental Title in his own right. On this week’s episode of Raw, Page and Rusev defeated Evans and Penta. All Ego pinned the champion, making a huge statement and putting him one step closer to getting a title shot. For the past few weeks I’ve been anxiously waiting to see if WWE was going to add this incredible fatal four-way match for the Intercontinental Championship, but it hasn’t happened yet.
As much as the WWE Universe enjoys witnessing great matches on free television, I truly believe all four superstars deserve the chance to showcase their talents on the PLE. While Penta has done a terrific job as the intercontinental champion, it’s time for a fresh face to hold the prestigious title. Page would make a great braggadocious heel that would help elevate the Intercontinental Championship to new heights!
Chairshot Radio Network
Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!
MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)
TUESDAY - 4 Corners Podcast (sports)
WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)
THURSDAY - Nefarious Means
FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)
SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast
SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!
Powered by RedCircle
Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!
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