WWE NXT 2023 Year-End Awards Revealed
The Slammys may be defunct, but their spirit has been kept alive as "WWE NXT" issued out their year-end awards on Tuesday's episode of "NXT." This year's awards contained five categories, all of which are specific to the "NXT" brand – Male Superstar of the Year, Female Superstar of the Year, Tag Team of the Year, Match of the Year, and Moment of the Year. Voting was conducted through respective fan polls on WWE's official website.
Nominees for "NXT" Tag Team of the Year included the likes of The Family (Tony D'Angelo & Channing "Stacks" Lorenzo), Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn, Gallus (Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang), and Brooks Jensen and Josh Briggs. The winner of this category was later revealed to be The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus), who recently received a call-up to WWE's main roster.
Former "NXT" Women's Champion Tiffany Stratton found victory in the category for "NXT" Female Superstar of the Year, defeating the likes of Roxanne Perez, Lyra Valkyria, Thea Hail, Kiana James, and Jacy Jayne. In surveying the 2023 "NXT" men's division, WWE fans crowned current "NXT" Champion Ilja Dragunov as the Male Superstar of the Year. Dragunov's win came against some notable competitors, such as Carmelo Hayes, Bron Breakker, Trick Williams, and Wes Lee.
That wasn't the only honor Dragunov walked away with tonight, though, as he and Carmelo Hayes are the co-recipients of the award for Match of the Year for their battle over the "NXT" Championship at No Mercy. Other nominees in this category included Dragunov vs. Dijak at "NXT" Battleground, the 2023 Men's Iron Survivor Challenge, and Becky Lynch vs. Tiffany Stratton, which also took place at No Mercy.
For the fifth and final award, WWE sought out fan's opinions on the "NXT" Moment of the Year. Ultimately, this distinction was granted to WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker, who made an unexpected appearance on the October 10 episode of "NXT" to confront (and deliver a chokeslam to) former "NXT" Champion Bron Breakker.