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This Saturday, WWE marks the thirtieth NXT TakeOver event with another high-quality card. NXT Takeover has become one of the most popular and consistent pay-per-view events of WWE's calendar year. Since 2014, NXT has hosted 29 different TakeOver events. After the first four shows took place at Full Sail University, NXT took the event on the road with the first Takeover out of Florida taking place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
NXT traditionally uses TakeOver as a blow-off for some of their biggest rivalries and deliver some of the best matches and memorable moments in the brand's history. At the very first TakeOver, Charlotte Flair had a breakout performance with her father, Ric Flair in her corner. She won the NXT Women's Championship in a classic match against Natalya, who had her uncle Bret "The Hitman" Hart in her corner.
At Takeover: R-Evolution, Sami Zayn capped off an eighteen-month journey with NXT to win his first title and defeat the longest-reigning NXT Champion at that time, Neville. Their encounter was a Match of the Year candidate. After the match, Kevin Owens debuted betrayed his best friend and new NXT Champion, power-bombing him on the ring apron in a shocking heel turn.
With so many different events taking place over the past six years, it has become difficult to determine which NXT TakeOver was the best. In this article, we will take a look at the 10 greatest NXT TakeOver events of all time.
#10 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn (2015)
The first NXT TakeOver event to take place outside of Full Sail University will kick off our list. On Aug. 22, 2015, The Barclays Center crowd in Brooklyn was hot from the start. Before the main card, Enzo Amore and Big Cass had every fan on their feet for Amore's usual diatribe on the mic. Then in an unprecedented opener, NJPW legend, Jushin Thunder Liger, defeated NXT stalwart, Tyler Breeze, in a clash of styles and generations. The fans became unglued as Full Sail favorite, Blue Pants joined The Vaudevillians as they bested Murphy and Blake to win the NXT tag titles.
On this night, the NXT roster didn't have to work for a crowd reaction. Even the two weakest contests from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Apollo Crews vs. Tye Dillinger and Samoa Joe vs. Baron Corbin, were able to get a response. Both were well-worked bouts but shorter than the others on the card. This night hit its crescendo with the double main event.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn closed as "The Demon" Finn Balor successfully defended his NXT Championship in a Ladder Match against former champion, Kevin Owens. This fun and hard-hitting ladder match was a good main event, but it failed to live up to the high standard of the match that preceded it.
In what many call the best women's match in WWE history, Bayley finally defeated Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women's Championship. For over eighteen minutes, these two ladies delivered a pitch-perfect story of an underdog, Bayley, overcoming the confident champion in Banks. The champion's brutal onslaught made the challenger's eventual comeback an engaging journey for the WWE Universe.
Banks and Bayley brought out a level of emotion from the crowd unseen before in a WWE women's match. WWE still replays the ending with Bayley, Banks, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch in the ring together to this day. This one match will make NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn an event to be remembered for years to coming.
#9 NXT TakeOver: Toronto (2016)
On, November 19, 2016, NXT TakeOver: Toronto became the first TakeOver event to take place in Canada at the Air Canada Centre. This event featured one of the best tag team matches in WWE history and one of the best feuds in NXT history. Then-NXT Tag Team Champions, The Revival, defended their titles against their arch-rivals, #DIY.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had failed to defeat the champions at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2 in a show-stealing match. After Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder cost #DIY the 2016 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, they earned a rematch in a Two-Out-of-Three Falls Match.
In an epic encounter that still stands as one of the best in NXT TakeOver history, the two teams put on a great match, which featured all four men displaying chemistry that hadn't been seen in quite some time. The resilient babyfaces, #DIY, made the perfect counterbalance to the ruthless heels, The Revival. With the two teams tied at one fall apiece, the final fall featured callbacks to their previous title match and close near-falls. Ultimately, #DIY finally defeated The Revival, making both men tap out for the final fall.
The other big match on the card was another rematch from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2 as the NXT Champion, Shinsuke Nakamura, faced Samoa Joe. After a fierce and competitive main event, Joe defeated Nakamura to become the first two-time NXT Champion.
In the other big title match at NXT TakeOver: Toronto, Mickie James returned to challenge the NXT Women's Champion, Asuka, in an excellent match. This James' return showed that she still had a lot in the tank. It also led to her WWE comeback on the main roster, where she made a home on Smackdown shortly following this event. On the other hand, Asuka added another standout title defense to her legendary reign.
The opener for NXT TakeOver: Toronto featured two Canadian Superstars as Bobby Roode took on "The Perfect 10" Tye Dillinger. Dillinger had the Toronto faithful in his corner with "10" chants leading him to the ring, but his opponent famously outdid his entrance. Roode had an epic arrival complete with a choir to sing his theme song, "Glorious."
In the end, Bobby Roode was victorious, following a traditional yet well-worked babyface vs heel battle with Dillinger. Although the Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic finals between AOP and TM-61 failed to stand out, it was still skillfully executed as the Authors of Pain continued a dominant run on NXT.
#8 NXT TakeOver Chicago II (2018)
The first NXT TakeOver: Chicago in 2017 featured a Match of the Year candidate for the WWE United Kingdom Championship between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne, as well as Tommaso Ciampa's shocking betrayal of Johnny Gargano. One year later at NXT TakeOver: Chicago II, the former #DIY teammates fought it out in a Chicago Street Fight.
The two men battled in a grueling contest that went all over the Allstate Arena. This was a brutal match that took a lot out of both men. It also had an unforgettable callback to the events that occurred a year earlier. Gargano put Ciampa through the announce table with a massive Air Raid Crash, paying him back with the same move that ended their partnership.
When the former friends made it back to the ring, the exposed wood underneath the mat ultimately became Johnny Gargano's undoing. "The Rebel Heart" was more obsessed with revenge than the win. His thirst for vengeance against his #DIY partner allowed Ciampa to take advantage. "The Black Heart" hit the Willow's Bell on the exposed ring mat to leave NXT TakeOver: Chicago II victorious.
The first match on NXT TakeOver: Chicago II was the NXT Tag Team Championship Match where Undisputed Era defended the title against Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. In an exciting opener, Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly outlasted Burch and Lorcan. The Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet was another awesome match. In a breakout performance for both performers, the two men furthered their rivalry centered around one-upmanship that they established in the lead up to NXT TakeOver: Chicago II. In the end, Ricochet defeated Dream in a memorable contest.
Those three matches held up the quality of another great NXT TakeOver event in a year full of them in 2018. The two main singles title matches were both serviceable. Shayna Baszler defended the NXT Women's Championship against Nikki Cross. Also, Aleister Black defeated Lars Sullivan to successfully defend the NXT Championship in an unusually short match due to the other big matches on this night.
#7 NXT TakeOver: War Games II (2018)
Ever since the introduction of War Games to WWE NXT, the steel structure has featured memorable moments and fantastic matches. NXT TakeOver: War Games II was the best of the three TakeOvers featuring the two ring steel cage marquee match. Undisputed Era was victorious in the first War Games match in WWE history in 2017. However, in 2018, they met bigger challenges with the War Raiders teaming with NXT North American Champion Ricochet and WWE United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne.
These four men were quite a challenge for the most dominant faction in NXT history. During this main event encounter of NXT TakeOver: War Games II, Ricochet pulled out a double moonsault onto a pile of the competitors in the match. This was just one of many highlights throughout this crazy matchup. In the conclusion to the match, a Bitter End/Shooting Star Press combo led to Dunne and Ricochet getting the pin on Cole to win War Games.
Although the War Games match took the headlines, there were two other contests before the main event that rocked the house at Staples Center in Los Angeles. For the NXT Championship, Tommaso Ciampa defended the title in a stellar contest against Velveteen Dream. In what is still Dream's best singles match to date at NXT TakeOver, the young 23-year-old star had one of his biggest breakout performance of his verging career.
The other contest that had the crowd abuzz was Aleister Black defeating Johnny Gargano in a grudge match. Gargano attacked Black prior to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 to take him out of the main event for that show, which set up this match. Black got his revenge and atoned Johnny Wrestling of his sins with a Black Mass in the climax of this encounter.
In the other major title match, the rivalry between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler came to a boiling point in a two out of three falls match. Baszler defeated Sane with the help of her fellow Four Horsewomen, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. We also saw the TakeOver debut of Matt Riddle, where he defeated NXT stalwart Kassius Ohno within seconds with a Flash Knee. Even with the shortest match in NXT TakeOver history, War Games II had a card that could stand up with any other before it.
#6 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 (2018)
The second NXT TakeOver on our list to take place at Barclay Center happened just three years from the inaugural edition. This time, we were gifted with one of the best NXT TakeOver cards from top to bottom ever. The headline match was yet another installment of the bitter feud between the former #DIY members. The main event saw Tommaso Ciampa defeating his former friend, Johnny Gargano, in a hard-hitting Last Man Standing Match to defend the NXT Championship.
To some fans, Ciampa and Gargano's third NXT TakeOver match of 2018 was their weakest, but they still delivered another great match and chapter in one of the best-told stories in WWE history. Gargano took out Aleister Black of what was supposed to be a Triple Threat Match on this night, with the goal of having the champion all to himself. Ciampa overcame Gargano once again due to Johnny Wrestling's bloodlust for vengeance against The Black Heart.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV also saw the third match in another awesome trilogy with Undisputed Era defending their NXT Tag Team gold against the former champions, Mustache Mountain. Roderick Strong, Kyle O'Reilly, Trent Seven, and Tyler Bate had some of the most captivating matches seen between two teams in NXT since #DIY versus The Revival. In a rematch to their Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated classic on the July 11th NXT TV, the two teams once again delivered an excellent match, in which the UE came out victorious.
Another standout title match on this night was Ricochet defeating Adam Cole to win the NXT North American Championship. With some of the best sequences seen in NXT TakeOver history, these two men had incredible chemistry together. The sequence where Cole reverses Ricochet's springboard moonsault with a Superkick was one that would be replayed for months afterward.
The fourth title match on this night featured a rematch of the Mae Young Classic 2017 Finals. Kairi Sane beat Shayna Baszler to win the NXT Women's Championship in a brilliant back and forth contest. This would be another chapter in one of the best rivalries ever featured in the NXT women's division.
The fifth match featured on the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV card was Velveteen Dream versus EC3. Although this match failed to captivate the audience like the others, Dream gained the victory. This win set up his NXT Championship Match at the NXT TakeOver: War Games II event that followed this event.
#5 NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia was an event that did not have lofty expectations going in. Taking place before the Royal Rumble 2018, the fans filled the Fargo Center with excitement for what NXT would offer. The WWE Universe would be blessed with one of the greatest matches in NXT history.
In a true classic NXT Championship Match, Andrade Cien Almas defended the title against Johnny Gargano in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia. In another Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated match, Almas and Gargano put on one of the greatest matches in NXT TakeOver history. The incredible and compelling contest exceeded all expectations in the main event.
Andrade gained the victory to walk out of NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia with his NXT Championship, but the loss was not even the worst part of Johnny Wrestling's night. As the fans showered him with admiration in Philadelphia's Fargo Center, Johnny's former best friend, Tommaso Ciampa, returned to nail him in the back with his signature crutch.
Other than this fantastic main event for NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, the night also featured a grueling Extreme Rules match between Undisputed Era's Adam Cole and Aleister Black. In a worthy successor to the famous Extreme Rules clashes that took place in Philly for ECW, Cole and Black brought down the house in a contest that featured kendo sticks, steel chairs, and many broken tables. This was not the only match for members of the UE though. The Undisputed Era defended the NXT Tag Team Titles against former champions, The Authors of Pain in a fine opener.
The third title match on this NXT TakeOver card was Ember Moon defending her NXT Women's Championship against the formidable challenge of "The Queen of Spades" Shayna Baszler. After Baszler tormented the champion in the buildup and her dominant performance in the match, Ember was able to outlast her challenger getting a rollup win.
The only match that didn't quite live up to the rest on NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia was Velveteen Dream versus Kassius Ohno. Dream came out in Rocky attire to match the Philadelphia setting. In what was a surprisingly short match, Dream defeated Ohno to gain more momentum in his young career. Overall, this kicked off a fantastic year of 2018 when it came to legendary NXT TakeOvers.
#4 NXT TakeOver: Dallas
NXT TakeOver: Dallas took place during WrestleMania 32 weekend and featured some of the most memorable matches in NXT history. The most anticipated of the night had to be the NXT debut of former NJPW top star, Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura faced NXT's top babyface and underdog Sami Zayn. The entrance for Nakamura had fans on their feet in anticipation even more. This contest lived up to all the expectations with the two men having an exhilarating and innovative contest that stole the entire Mania weekend. The King of Strong Style was victorious with the Kinshasa Knee Strike over Zayn.
This match was not the only to rock the house in Dallas though. Asuka's legendary 510-day NXT Women's Title reign started at this NXT TakeOver with her win over Bayley for the title. This encounter proved to be one of the best in the history of the title as well. The underdog champion facing the relentless dominance of the challenger made for an amazing dynamic. This was an encounter that elevated the title and entire card, but another match that did this was the NXT Tag Team Titles match as well.
American Alpha completed their journey by defeating The Revival to win the NXT Tag Team Championships. Another awesome contest on NXT TakeOver: Dallas stuck out from the pack with the two teams creating quite the atmosphere with incredible sequences and tag team maneuvers. They created magic in what was The Revival's first true breakout performance on NXT TakeOver.
The main event of the night featured Finn Balor defending the NXT Championship against his former partner, Samoa Joe. In a rematch from NXT TakeOver: London, the two men delivered a worthy main event. This match was intense and proved to be brutal with Joe shedding blood within the opening minutes of this contest. The conclusion came with Joe locking on the Coquina Clutch, which Balor reversed for the pin and win.
In what was the shortest match of the night, Austin Aries made his NXT Takeover debut, facing Baron Corbin. Aries pulled out the win over the younger, yet intimidating Lone Wolf. All in all, this NXT Takeover: Dallas proved to be one of the best cards in NXT history.
#3 NXT TakeOver: Portland
In the latest edition to our list, we have one of the best events all year with NXT TakeOver: Portland. The rare TakeOver to not take place before a major WWE pay-per-view proved to be one that could stand up to any other event in 2020. The main event of the night saw Adam Cole defending the NXT Championship against former champion, Tommaso Ciampa. Cole and Ciampa built a truly compelling rivalry from Tommaso's return to NXT on October 2nd, 2019 until the February event.
This main event match of NXT TakeOver: Portland had everything you would want in a big-time NXT Title match. There was entertaining back and forth sequences, close near falls, and a dramatic ending. The climax of the match saw Ciampa overcome the interference of the rest of the Undisputed Era. However then, Johnny Gargano came down seemingly to help his #DIY partner, but instead, he nailed Ciampa with the NXT Title costing him the match. This would end The Black Heart's attempt at winning back "Goldie" and set up a restart of their rivalry.
This was not the only time we would see Gargano on the night. Earlier on NXT TakeOver: Portland, we saw a fantastic first time ever match between two of NXT's greatest all-time performers with Johnny Gargano facing Finn Balor. The two men had a contest that lived up to the high standards of both competitors. The conclusion came when Balor went on a flurry ending with a Coup De Grace and the 1916 for the win over Johnny Wrestling.
One of the more anticipated contests for NXT TakeOver: Portland was the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners, The Broserweights of Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle facing the NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era. The four men went out and stole the show on this stellar card. This was indeed one of the very best tag team matches the entire year. The other standout title match was Keith Lee defeating Dominik Dijakovic to defend the NXT North American Championship. The two frenemies had an amazing opener that set the tone for an all-time great night of TakeOver action.
The NXT women's division was highlighted prominently as well on NXT TakeOver: Portland. NXT Women's Champion Rhea Ripley successfully defended against "The EST of NXT" Bianca Belair in a good match. Earlier on the card, the friends turned enemies battle between Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai delivered a hard-hitting Street Fight as well. The ladies showed early this year that the NXT women's division would have another groundbreaking year in 2020.
#2 NXT TakeOver: New York
NXT TakeOver: New York was a brilliant card on the Wrestlemania 35 weekend that featured so many tremendous shows from WWE, NJPW, and others. From the Barclay Center in Brooklyn once again, this night is one of the all-time great NXT TakeOvers for a reason. Without a single bad match on the card, we witnessed one of the greatest NXT Title matches ever with Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano battling for the vacant NXT Championship in a two-out-of-three falls match.
Johnny Wrestling was originally supposed to end his long-standing war with NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: New York in the blowoff to their classic story. However, with Ciampa forced to have neck surgery, Adam Cole stepped in to deliver an instant classic with Gargano that proved to be an undeniable Match of the Year candidate. To end the night after a Wrestling Observer Newsletter five and a half star rated match, "The Rebel Heart" stood at the top of the stage with the NXT Title, his wife Candice LaRae and the returning Ciampa embracing in a storybook ending.
Cole vs Gargano was not the only incredible title match on NXT TakeOver: New York either. Pete Dunne's stellar 685-day WWE United Kingdom Title reign ended in a tremendous battle with the unstoppable WALTER. The leader of Imperium took down the dominant champion with lethal chops and a vicious beating throughout this twenty-plus minute epic.
We also witnessed the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic winners, Ricochet and Aleister Black, facing The War Raiders for the NXT Tag Team Titles in a great opener that kicked off this memorable NXT TakeOver: New York card. The War Raiders were victorious in what proved to be Ricochet and Black's final nights in NXT. The night did not slow down with the second match featuring Velveteen Dream defeating Matt Riddle to defend the NXT North American Championship. This one was a fun clash of styles, which Dream was able to just edge out the challenger.
The fifth title match at NXT TakeOver: New York saw Shayna Baszler being forced to defend her NXT Women's Championship in a Fatal Fourway Match. The challengers of Bianca Belair, Kairi Sane, and Io Shirai made for an intriguing dynamic with the champion. In the end, The Queen of Spades was able to gain the victory with her Kinfuda Clutch on Sane for the victory.
This stacked lineup is one of the greatest shows in not just NXT history, but WWE history as well. However, it just is edged out by the Wrestlemania weekend card that NXT TakeOver produced the previous year.
#1 NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
If there was one night that could beat out New York, it was NXT TakeOver: New Orleans during Wrestlemania 34 weekend. The culmination of compelling stories, a shocking heel turn and the introduction of a new title to NXT all took place on this one night.
In the opener at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, NXT introduced the North American Championship with six competitors battling in a high-risk ladder match. The debuting EC3 and Ricochet were joined by NXT Superstars, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, and Adam Cole in this all action-packed contest. The highlight of the match and night had to be Ricochet's insane moonsault from a falling ladder to the floor, which had the crowd on their feet with a huge reaction. All six superstars were highlighted throughout this match in a way that perfectly captured the unique characters in this thrilling start to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The conclusion came when Adam Cole was able to cut off Ricochet's attempt at the title and climb up to become the first-ever NXT North American Champion.
Cole's night was not done there though. In both the NXT Tag Team Titles match and 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals, Cole replaced the injured Bobby Fish to team with his Undisputed Era compatriot, Kyle O'Reilly. The UE faced The Authors of Pain and the makeshift team of Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne. The latter team had been a thorn in the side of the Undisputed Era for months so no one was expecting the finish here. Just as it looked like they were going to win, Roderick Strong turned his back on Dunne to officially join the Undisputed Era after months of teasing. This turn elevated the UE stable to even bigger heights and stands as one of the most memorable moments in NXT TakeOver history.
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans also saw new champions with the two top singles titles for the men and women. In the blowoff to their bitter feud, Shayna Baszler finally defeated Ember Moon, making the champion submit to her Kinfuda Clutch to become NXT Women's Champion for the first time. Her dominant run at top of the NXT women's division all started here so it has an even bigger significance in hindsight after she became one of the most prolific champions in NXT history. We also saw Aleister Black win the NXT Championship in a blistering contest against Andrade Cien Almas. Black overcame the outside interference of Zelina Vega and ended the reign of Almas with The Black Mass.
Finally, in one of the biggest matches in NXT TakeOver history, the main event saw Johnny Gargano go one-on-one with his former friend, Tommaso Ciampa, in an Unsanctioned Match. The former NXT Tag Team Champions had built a deeply layered rivalry since Ciampa turned his back on Gargano almost one year prior to having ACL surgery. Upon his return to the brand, "The Black Heart" had also cost "The Rebel Heart" the NXT Championship gold as well as his career in the brand prior to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
The two men put on a brutal, hard-hitting and emotional battle that received universal praise to end NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The conclusion saw an amazing callback from their first match at the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. Both men sat in the ring together just like the post-match of their first-round contest. This time, however, Ciampa was trying to lure Gargano in, but Johnny Wrestling was one step ahead, using Ciampa's knee brace to make him tap and earn his career in NXT back.
Both the opener and main event were awarded Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated matches. We also witnessed landscape shaping title wins and a shocking heel turn. With that, this is the greatest NXT TakeOver of all time. We will have to wait and see this Saturday if NXT TakeOver XXX can live up to this list, but with another stacked lineup on tap, it definitely has an opportunity to live up the ridiculous quality of NXT TakeOver.
