WWE NXT Year-End Awards: Winners, Analysis and Reaction

The year 2016 was one of transition for NXT.

Gone were Sami Zayn, Bayley and Finn Balor, leaving the brand to replace three of its most beloved stars. It responded favorably, presenting acts such as American Alpha, The Revival, DIY and Shinsuke Nakamura.

While the brand lost a great deal of talent in the brand extension, it continued to soldier on, enlisting the likes of Bobby Roode, Eric Young and Roderick Strong to help with its continued revolution of sports entertainment.

There were still superb individual performances and five-star classics, whetting its fans' appetites for outstanding professional wrestling.

As the brand prepared to make its first mark on 2017 with TakeOver: San Antonio, it looked back at the year that was and paid tribute to the men and women who helped make it another extraordinary one for NXT with these year-end awards, revealed during Saturday's pre-show.

NXT Tag Team of the Year

Nominees

• American Alpha
• TM61
• The Authors of Pain
• The Revival
• DIY

Winner

The Revival

Analysis

It may have been a temptation to choose DIY here, given its phenomenal performance in November's championship match, but in the end, fans made the only choice they could by selecting The Revival as 2016 Tag Team of the Year.

Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are a throwback to tag teams of yesteryear—the closest thing to a replica of the Andersons that today's audience will ever see.

Their work with Enzo Amore and Big Cass, American Alpha and DIY helped solidify NXT's tag team division as the best in all of WWE.

Breakout Star of the Year

Nominees

• No Way Jose
• Ember Moon
• Andrade "Cien" Almas
• Peyton Royce and Billie Kay
• Sanity

Winner

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay

Analysis

Peyton Royce and Billie Kay campaigned hard for this award, showing off their heelish personalities in several social media videos.

Their win here is a great sign for the devious duo, who would wrestle their biggest and most significant match to date Saturday night, an NXT Women's Championship Fatal 4-Way match with Asuka and Nikki Cross.

The lead heels in a rebuilding division, they have gotten over with an NXT audience that wants to see them get destroyed.

Seeing as how that is their job in that role, it is hard to argue with their progression to this point. 2017 should be a big year for the Aussies.  

Female Competitor of the Year

Nominees

• Bayley
• Nia Jax
• Asuka

Winner

Asuka

Analysis

Who can argue with Asuka's victory here, given how dominant she was in 2016?

She beat down and sent packing the most beloved star in NXT history in Bayley. She defeated Mickie James and ruined her return to the big stage. Simply put, there was no woman remotely close to Asuka in terms of dominance.

One of the faces of the brand, Asuka was arguably the top competitor in all of NXT in 2016.

Male Competitor of the Year

Nominees

• Finn Balor
• Samoa Joe
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Bobby Roode

Winner

Shinsuke Nakamura

Analysis

There was an argument to be made for Samoa Joe, but Shinsuke Nakamura ran away with this one on the strength of his first nine months with NXT.

A five-star classic against Sami Zayn, a hard-hitting match with Finn Balor, a strong series with Joe and two NXT Championship wins comprise a resume second to none in a year of rebuild and transition for the brand.

Nakamura became the face of the hottest brand in sports entertainment, and the result was an experience fans had never witnessed before in the revolutionary brand.

NXT Superstar of the Year

Nominees

• Bobby Roode
• Asuka
• Nia Jax
• Shinsuke Nakamura
• Finn Balor
• Bayley
• Samoa Joe

Winner 

Shinsuke Nakamura

Analysis

The NXT champion made it 2-for-2 Saturday night, capturing the biggest award of the night, Superstar of the Year.

From the moment he set foot through the curtain at TakeOver: Dallas for what would be a classic encounter with Sami Zayn, it was clear that NXT had been graced by a competitor the likes of which it had never seen before.

Not only was he The King of Strong Style, but he also brought with him a charisma that captivated fans and earned him main event status right out of the gate. He beat every major star the brand had to offer and now enters 2017 ready to continue his success as the focal point of NXT.

NXT Match of the Year

Nominees

• Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT, July 13)
• Asuka vs. Mickie James (TakeOver: Toronto)
• American Alpha vs. The Revival (TakeOver: The End of the Beginning)
• Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (TakeOver: Dallas)
• Bayley vs. Asuka (TakeOver: Dallas)
• Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe (NXT, Feb. 13)
• Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (TakeOver: The End of the Beginning)
• DIY vs. The Revival (TakeOver: Toronto)
• Neville vs. Finn Balor (NXT, March 2)
• Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe (TakeOver: Toronto)
• American Alpha vs. The Revival (NXT, July 6)

Winner

DIY vs. The Revival (TakeOver: Toronto)

Analysis

In a year that touted an emotional and extraordinary match in Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura from TakeOver: Dallas, the fact that DIY vs. The Revival from TakeOver: Toronto won Match of the Year is a testament to the bit of tag team magic those duos delivered.

Building on spots established in their previous encounters, they had the audience in Canada eating out of their hands, eager to see which Superstars would emerge with the titles around their waists.

At the least, the match restored faith in tag team wrestling. At most, it reminded fans why they love the art of wrestling and just how magical it can be when done at a virtuoso level.