The Slammys seem to be a thing of the past, but NXT is keeping the old ways alive. For the third straight year, fan votes will determine the winners of their Year-End Awards.
As revealed on the black-and-yellow brand’s clip show/year in review special a short time ago, voting will again take place on Twitter. You’ll need to send a tweet with the hashtag of the category and your pick to win said category. Winners will be announced on Jan. 27 - the day of TakeOver: Philadelphia.
Here are the nominees, along with the requisite hashtags for your ballot:
NXT TakeOver of the Year
#NXTAwardTakeOver
#SanAntonio
#Orlando
#BrooklynIII
#Chicago
#WarGames
NXT Female Competitor of the Year Award
#NXTAwardFemale
#Asuka
#EmberMoon
#NikkiCross
#RubyRiott
#IconicDuo (for Billie Kay and Peyton Royce)
NXT Male Competitor of the Year Award
#NXTAwardMale
#BobbyRoode
#DrewMcIntyre
#AleisterBlack
#AndradeAlmas
#RoderickStrong
Overall NXT Competitor of the Year Award
#NXTAwardOverall
#BobbyRoode
#DrewMcIntyre
#AleisterBlack
#AndradeAlmas
#RoderickStrong
#Asuka
#EmberMoon
#NikkiCross
#RubyRiott
#IconicDuo (for Billie Kay and Peyton Royce)
NXT Tag Team of the Year Award
#NXTAwardTagTeam
#AuthorsOfPain
#SAnitY
#TheRevival
#DIY
#UndisputedERA
NXT Breakout Star of the Year Award
#NXTAwardBreakoutStar
#AleisterBlack
#AndradeAlmasZelinaVega
#UndisputedERA
#SonyaDeville
#RubyRiott
#VelveteenDream
#LarsSullivan
Future Star of NXT Award
#NXTAwardFutureStar
#StreetProfits
#HeavyMachinery
#ShaynaBaszler
#KairiSane
#FabianAichner
#CezarBononi
#LioRush
#BiancaBelair
#LaceyEvans
NXT Match of the Year Award
#NXTAwardMatch
#GarganoVsAlmas — Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (TakeOver: Brooklyn III)
#AsukaVsMoon — Asuka vs. Ember Moon (NXT Women’s Championship Match, TakeOver: Brooklyn III)
#McIntyreVsAlmas — Drew McIntyre vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas (NXT Championship Match, TakeOver: WarGames)
#DIYVsRevivalVsAOP — #DIY vs. The Revival vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Tag Team Elimination Match, TakeOver: Orlando)
#BateVsDunne — Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne (WWE U.K. Championship Match, TakeOver: Chicago)
#WarGamesMatch — SAnitY vs. Authors of Pain & Roderick Strong vs. Undisputed ERA (TakeOver: WarGames)
#AsukaVsCross — Asuka vs. Nikki Cross (NXT Women’s Championship Last Woman Standing Match, NXT TV, June 28, 2017)
#DIYVsAOP — #DIY vs. Authors of Pain (NXT Tag Team Championship Ladder Match, TakeOver: Chicago)
#StrongVsRoode — Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Roode (NXT Championship Match, NXT TV, July 5, 2017)
#WomensBattleRoyal — NXT Women’s Championship Qualifying Battle Royal (NXT TV, Oct. 25, 2017)
#BlackVsDream — Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream (TakeOver: WarGames)
#GarganoVsOhno — Johnny Gargano vs. Kassius Ohno (NXT TV, Dec. 6, 2017)
NXT Rivalry of the Year Award
#NXTAwardRivalry
#NakamuraRoode — Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bobby Roode
#MoonAsuka — Ember Moon vs. Asuka
#BateDunne — Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne
#SAnitYUndisputed — SAnitY vs. Undisputed ERA
#BlackDream — Aleister Black vs. Velveteen Dream
#OhnoItami — Kassius Ohno vs. Hideo Itami
#DIYAOP — #DIY vs. Authors of Pain
That’s seven returning categories and two new ones. My first thought on one of the debuting awards - Rivalry of the Year - was it was probably created as a way to honor the amazing Aleister Black/Velveteen Dream program. And that’s probably still getting my vote... but including the United Kingdom championship feud gives me pause.
The other new designation - Future Star - is most noteworthy for one of its nominees: the controversial and rumored-to-be-released-except-he-wasn’t Lio Rush. A lot of the categories include people who were less than main eventers in 2017 (including a healthy showing for women recently promoted to Raw and SmackDown), so I’m not sure how they decided who went in Future Star vs. Breakout vs. one of the other categories. But it’s all in fun, anyway, right?
Except that it’s super-serious business! Now leave me alone - I’ve got some thinking to do before jumping on the Twitter machine and placing my votes.
Feel free to share your choices - along with praise or outrage - below!