Top 10 NXT Takeover Matches Of All Time Part 1
This Post was Pre Posted and an updated Part two will be uploaded SOON!
Shinsuke Nakamura vs Sami Zayn
In my personal opinion, this is one of the best WWE matches of all time. Of course, we all have those epic matches from ten, fifteen, twenty years ago but when discussing some of the best matches of the past five years and whether or not they make the all-time best list, this is one that certainly pops up. Making his WWE debut, the former NJPW star Shinsuke Nakamura went one on one with an NXT legend in his own right, Saomi Zayn. After having one of the most memorable runs in the rosters history and becoming an iconic figure and babyface the brand has seen Zayn stepped inside an NXT ring for the first time against one of his toughest opponents and boy did they steal the show. Making it impossible for any match to follow to top their performance, Zayn and Nakamura tore the house down with epic strikes, stiff shots, and pure modern day wrestling that had fans up on their seat and an arena full of "fight forever" chants. This was a battle of two of the best pro wrestlers of this generation and if you ever need reminding of just how seriously underused Zayn has been as an in-ring performer over the past couple of years just check this match out. It's here he showed just how skilled he is and how brilliant of an intense storyteller and all-around performer he is also. Fans rooted for both men but it was Nakamura who of course scored the victory on his first night and a passing of the torch feel was in the air as Zayn waved goodbye to a roster that had given him everything.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley (NXT Takeover Brooklyn)
As we continue on in this blog post we once again hit yet another all-time great. Okay, so while this match only took place a few years ago there is no denying that this will be one for the history books. A match that changed the face of women's wrestling forever, Sasha Banks and Bayley took a revolution kick-started by the likes of Lita and Trish Stratus, caught the attention thanks to the likes of Paige and Emma, and took it to a whole new level. Facing off at NXT Takeover Brooklyn for the NXT Women's champion the then title holder Sasha Banks and the face of all faces Bayley competed in the best of the night, so good in fact I struggled at first to get into the main event. This was a match that changed the game. Given around twenty minutes of in-ring time these two took advantage of every single second. From fantastic storytelling to brilliant character/heel work from the boss, to Bayley portraying the ultimate underdog perfectly, this match had everything you could ask for. Fans in the arena were genuinely up on their feet louder than ever and watching it was the first time I had seen such a reaction from a women's wrestling match and even typing that sentence gives me goosebumps. It's a match that will indeed inspire a generation and continues to be a feud and bout fans look back on and thank for changing women's wrestling. Not to mention their follow up match at NXT Takeover Respect where the women main evented the show was yet another Takeover Standout!
Andrade Cien Almas vs Johnny Gargano
The most recent match in today's blog post, Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Cien Almas for the NXT Championship had to be one to mention in part one of this post. Is this the best WWE match of the past seven years? Honestly, I can't think of one that tops it. Sure the likes of John Cena, AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, and Nakamura have all been apart of some truly epic matches but for me, nothing quite tops this encounter as it just about gives us way more than any of the others did. With Dave Meltzer giving this a five-star rating making it the first since Cena vs Punk it pretty much says it all. This was a bout that had it all. Gargano is a fantastic babyface. Full of heart and passion he's easy to get behind and gives us that Daniel Bryan feels once again whole Andrade Cien Almas is a man with all the potential, so much in fact that even after this match I still feel as though he can deliver even more in the years to come. Saying that, in this match, these two gave it there all. There was nothing more that could have been added to this match to make it any stronger. Gargano walked into this with more focus than ever before and everyone believed this was his time. His wife and family were in the audience and everyone was behind him but he just about came up short. It was a heartbreaking moment and to top it all off Ciampa made a shock return right at the end and attacked the fan favourite. Perfect. We had Zelina Vega, Candice La Rae, a fantastic gripping story, and outstanding wrestling. The greatest Takeover match? How about the best WWE match in a very very very long time!
The Revival vs DIY (NXT Takeover Toronto)
Man this is a match I love! I've said it before and I will say it again, the Revival are one of the best tag teams in the world today without a shadow of a doubt and on no other night did they cement that fact more than at NXT Takeover Toronto where Dash and Dawson took on Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa in what has been considered by many to be one of the best tag team matches of all time. This is simply one I cannot fault. I grew up the biggest tag team wrestling fan watching the likes of the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian, and of course, the Dudley Boyz is honestly what made me the massive WWE and pro wrestling fan I am today. Throughout the years the tag team division in the WWE has continued to present fans with brilliant teams including the likes of the Usos and the New Day, however, there was a long time that we sat back and watched an extremely week division fall and fall and then came NXT. Doing exactly what it did for the women's division for the tag teams there was a change and my love for tag team wrestling was revived (excuse the pun). The Revival and DIY have competed in several phenomenal tag team matches I would easily give a five-star rating to but it was this bout at NXT Takeover Toronto that tops the list for me. It had everything. The two out of three falls tag team title match was hands down the best match of twenty sixteen to come out of the WWE and in all honesty... I don't think I have enjoyed a tag team match as much since!
Tyler Breeze vs Tyson Kidd vs Neville vs Sami Zayn
Okay, so while we may have touched on the fact that Johnny Gargano vs Andrade Cien Almas may just be the best WWE match in nearly ten years but in terms of my personal all time favourite NXT Takeover match it has got to go to this one. The fatal four way match for the NXT Championship involving Tyson Kidd, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, and Tyler Breeze was simply fantastic! It's the one I have re-watched the most in this list today and one that I continue to recommend and talk about a few years later. This was a time where NXT really was showing itself to be the place to be. It was the land full of brilliant wrestling and a roster full of potential and while none of these men have been pushed on the main roster as high as they should be they all proved on this night that you could put the WWE championship on any of them and they would make for fantastic title holders. These four men are all championship material and anyone in doubt of that must re-watch this match. There was action happening everywhere! There was never a dull moment and this was the match that truly raised the bar and set the standards!
And that is aprt one! Part two of this post will be uploaded in a couple of weeks time so keep an eye out for that! As always, any recent blog posts will be linked below and you can tell me what your all-time favourite NXT Takeover match is by leaving a comment below or by tweeting me over at @TezangiVictoria.
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