Top Five NXT Matches of 2016
5) Bobby Roode VS Tye Dillinger (NXT Takeover: Toronto)
This is Text is taken from my NXT Takeover Toronto Review:
So the night kick started with a must-see matchup between the Glorious one, Bobby Roode, and the perfect ten Tye Dillinger. The match came about following Roode's actions a couple of months back where he abandoned Dillinger during their first match int he Dusty Rhodes tag team classic. Despite being the man to approach Dillinger with the idea of them teaming up, the Glorious one wanted nothing to do with the debuting Sanity and left Dillinger to fend for himself against two monsters. In the weeks that followed, we saw the two fit in a couple of attacks and brawls as they prepared to go one on one at the NXT Takeover Toronto show. Now, before we get talking about their brilliant match can we just take a moment to appreciate the video package shown before they stepped into the ring. As someone that has been a fan of Tye Dillinger for so long, I have hated the fact that he spent so much of his early days in NXT not being appreciated or use enough and his story just hasn't been told well at all. That was until last night, when during the video package for his matchup against Bobby Roode he didn't look like a joke at all and felt like a serious contender as he was finally able to talk about his career, mentioning the fact that he has already had a taste of the WWE all those years back and now wants to truly make a name for himself. All of a sudden the match felt so much more important and Dillinger felt like an even bigger show. Now, we have to briefly touch on entrances; with Bobby Roode having a glorious arrival to his match and Dillinger being made to feel like a mega star before he had even stepped into the ring we had an awesome start to the night before the action had even started! The match itself was far far better than I could have expected. The sheer character and reaction both men picked up made this match feel huge and the action itself only added to the feel. In the early stages we saw Dillinger take complete control, with Roode fitting in a couple of shots here and there Dillinger managed to remain in control and keep the momentum going. However, as the match progressed Roode was able to find and opening and the tales turned massively with Roode making a show of Dillinger. The fight in Tye did keep him going and the crowd remained completely behind him from start to finish. So many near falls and brilliant spots really did make this match a standout not only of the night but of the year. It was the first time Dillinger felt like a big deal and was without a doubt his best match since arriving in NXT as he finally got the chance to show the world what he is capable of and to prove he really is a fantastic talent. Now, he may not have walked away with the win over Roode but as far as all-around performances go, Dillinger was one of the best of the night and no one can fault his skill and talent. Such a fantastic way to kick start the show and with the energy high and the standard set so high also the night was bound to be one to remember.
4) American Alpha VS The Revival (NXT Takeover: The end)
Trust me when I say I could literally sit here and talk about this match all day long! I have sat here behind this desk and spoke about the brilliant work NXT has done with the Tag division many times before. I've noted that NXT has done exactly what it did with the women's division with the Tag Division over the past couple of years and this match really does show that and show just how far tag team wrestling in the WWE has come over the past thew years thanks to NXT. When I was writing the prediction post for this match I mentioned that this was going to be something special. I hyped it up to the best of my abilities and promised everyone that I was certain this could easily steal the show on the night and that is exactly what these two teams did. It was a solid card with every match delivering but this was without a doubt the match of the night. I honestly could not stop talking about it for weeks and I've lost track of how many times I've actually re-watched it. Right from the very moment the match started I was completely hooked. We had brilliant spot after brilliant spot. Both teams worked amazingly well together and because of the chemistry, because of the skill, and because of the amazing backstage work these four guys were able to deliver something that we haven't seen from the division in a very very long time. Such well thought out moments that genuinely had you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention the fact that these are two of the greatest technical wrestling teams in all of pro wrestling and it seeing them together in a ring was great. Mix that with the shock ending and the arrival of Authors of Pain and you have a match that truly was outstanding and an easy addition to this year's top five NXT matches of the year post.
3) Finn Balor VS Shinsuke Nakamura
1) The Revival VS DIY (NXT Takeover: Toronto)
superkick combo from Gargano and Ciampa evened up the score only several minutes later. Now, the action in this match was simply outstanding from start to finish. There was not a single dull moment and the storytelling was just phenomenal. There was meaning behind everything, you could feel the passion from both sides, the wrestling was unlike anything I have seen in a long time and the near falls had me literally up from my seat yelling at the screen. With the scores even it came down to that third and final fall and believe me when I say that those near falls I was just talking about had me in a state I don't think is acceptable for anyone of any age. As these two teams both looked to walk away with gold we saw the Revival work on both legs of Gargano and there were so many times I believed that the championships would not be changing hands however it was a pair of dueling submissions that were enough for Gargano and Ciampa to finally walk away with the NXT Tag Team championships. A
s I mentioned in the intro, two thousand and sixteen has seen NXT continue to shine and deliver fantastic matches. I also mentioned that I found it really difficult to narrow this list down to just five matches because of the fact there were so many great matches so I want to mention a couple of bonus that I wanted to put on the list but just didn't make it;
Bayley VS Asuka at NXT Takeover Brooklyn. Finn Balor VS Samoa Joe inside a steel cage. Cedric Alexander VS Andrade Cien Almas and of course pretty much every tag team match the Revival have been apart of. Note that I did want to include their first title match against DIY as well but in the end I wanted to shake it up and make sure to add something new as well. Along with many many others.
As always I would love to know what you think so make sure to leave a comment bellow or drop me a tweet at @TezangiVictoria letting me know what has been your favourite NXT match of twenty sixteen.
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3) Finn Balor VS Shinsuke Nakamura
One of the most anticipated matches of twenty sixteen came from the one on one bout between former NXT Champion Finn Balor and the fan favourite, Shinsuke Nakamura. Both superstars at the top of their game and noted as two of the most popular and must-see stars of NXT this was a match no one wanted to miss out and sure did not disappoint . From the moment Nakamura arrived on the scene everyone wondered when he and Balor would step in the ring together for the first time in the WWE. The match between the two was hyped for several weeks and the match was the focus point of the thirteenth of July episode of NXT. The match was focused on Nakamura wanting to prove himself and defeat the man he believed to be the greatest NXT Champion in history to then go on and compete for the title against Samoa Joe later on.The match itself was nothing short of fantastic. Living up to expectations Shinsuke and Finn worked together to deliver a match more than worthy of being added to the talks regarding match of the year. Completely captivated from the moment the night started the entrances alone had everyone on their feet yelling at the top of their voices. The excitement and the electricity in the room was insane, you could feel the buzz in the room just bursting through the screen. When you take a look at everyone in the crowd every single person had a huge smile on their face and the genuine excitement on their faces was something brilliant. With the awesome entrances over and done with it was time for the action to start and over twenty minutes of outstanding wrestling took place. We saw a much slower stat than expected with both superstars taking their time to get the feel of the match and speed things up a little. However, within the first five minutes or so the flamboyant Nakamura was able to taunt Balor pushing his buttons just that little more and after taunting one another and getting the crowd that little more excited the pace quickened following the rope break. In previous matches we have seen the mind games from Nakamura work in his favour to get one up on his opponents but the familiar face that is Finn Balor was not backing down and the mind games sure did not work on the former NXT Champion. Playing the same games Finn kicked Nakamura in the head with his trademark "too sweet" hand gesture that only had the crowd on their feet and even louder. Both the NXT universe in the room and everyone at home was on the edge of their seats completely gripped and entertained by the action in the ring. It took a great deal of time for either of these superstars to take control of the match with the fast pace action seeing a back and fourth match take place. Both Nakamura and Balor know each other so well and that shined through as clear as anything in this match and it's that which match this match so amazing and so back and fourth. The turning point was without a doubt when Balor found his opening targeting the right knee of Nakamura. With the knee suffering it put the king of strong on hold with signature proving to be far more difficult when having issues with the knee, a key factor in Shinsuke's move set. As the match progressed Balor used the weak knee to his advantage playing on it throughout looking in painful submissions that had us believe the new fan favourite was only seconds from tapping out. But it wasn't just Balor who has a bunch of submission holds up his sleeve, Nakamura surprised both Finn and the fans with a number of holds coming out of nowhere where once again we were all on the edge of our seats waiting to see if the match would comes to an end. Now, I love both of these superstars, I have spoken about both of them plenty of times here on my blog and over on twitter and so it was impossible for me to cheer for just one and that was yet another huge part of this match. The fact that no one was able to boo either of these men showed just how brilliant both of them were and how iconic they are in NXT. In the end, it was, of course, Shinsuke who picked up the huge win but both men left feeling like winners. Now, this is likely to be Balor's final match in NXT and if so than what a brilliant match to end a fantastic NXT career.
2) Shinsuke Nakamura Sami Zayn
I know it's a popular choice and I know every single person has noted this as one of if not their favourite match of two thousand and sixteen but there really is not many another matches that top Shinsuke Nakamura VS Sami Zayn at NXT Takeover Dallas and therefore this year it takes the number two spot for the twenty sixteen NXT Match of the year. Not only is this a potential match of the year candidate but this is without a doubt one of my favourite matches of all time. It has everything you could possibly ask for. In the week leading up to this live special, the WWE hyped the debut of Japanese sensation Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn set to be his huge opponent. There really was no better pairing here. We have two outstanding performers and wrestlers both big big fan favourites. Shinsuke's entrance had me in complete awe. The reaction he got from the live crowd was insane and really did add to the excitement. And then we have the match itself and you really are short of words when you talk about this match. From the start all the way throughout these two just killed it. We had "fight forever" chants and so right too. I could have easily had sat there throughout the rest of the show just watching those two go at it. Every single second had me glued to the TV screen. Fantastic spots, great story telling, so much character and charisma and so much energy from the crowd. It was a truly epic wrestling match and one that we all will be talking about for many many years to come.
1) The Revival VS DIY (NXT Takeover: Toronto)
Up next we have more tag team action as the Revival were set to defend their NXT Tag Team Championship against DIY once again. We last saw these two teams go head to head in the summer at the NXT Takeover Brooklyn two show where they provided us with not only one of the best matches of the year but one of the best tag team wrestling matches I have seen in years! Because of the standard and the expectations being set and raised so high thanks to their previous match the four superstars were under immense pressure to deliver to the same standard and provide fans with a match even better than their last. Before the match started we saw a brilliant video package that really did show how much this match meant to DIY as they pushed the idea that this was their last chance to capture those championships and the whole thing just felt like such a huge deal and a true must see, there really was no wrestling fan that would have wanted to have missed out on this match and trust me when I say these guys did not disappoint at all. I did actually completely forget that this was a two out of three falls match and so when I realised I was ten times more excited and I made sure to make myself comfortable as I knew I was in for a very special match. What I couldn't do however was mentally prepare for just how brilliant this match was. We have seen Gargano and Ciampa take this road to becoming NXT tag team champions for the past year and so the match felt so important! The first fall didn't go in the favour of DIY however. The brilliant timing and teamwork of the Revival meant that they were able to pick up the first fall as a fantastic counter from a DDT from Gargano into the Shatter Machine was enough to put Johnny Wrestling away. The champs, however, were unable to keep momentum strong and pick up a second straight fall when a running knee and real feel the good moment the entire arena and everyone at home celebrated a much-deserved win. These two have worked so hard over the past year and have focused so massively on those championships and they really did deserve that win better than anyone. Of course, we cannot take away the amazing performance from the Revival. Dash and Dawson have been outstanding champions but its more than time for them to make the jump up to the main roster.
Bayley VS Asuka at NXT Takeover Brooklyn. Finn Balor VS Samoa Joe inside a steel cage. Cedric Alexander VS Andrade Cien Almas and of course pretty much every tag team match the Revival have been apart of. Note that I did want to include their first title match against DIY as well but in the end I wanted to shake it up and make sure to add something new as well. Along with many many others.
As always I would love to know what you think so make sure to leave a comment bellow or drop me a tweet at @TezangiVictoria letting me know what has been your favourite NXT match of twenty sixteen.
Recent Blog Posts:
Most Improved WWE Superstars of 2016
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