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August 22, 2020, will be a special night for WWE NXT, as the brand will present the 30th edition of TakeOver on this night. WWE NXT has been around for more than a decade and has been home to some of the biggest Superstars on RAW and SmackDown today.
TakeOver has been NXT's premier event for a long time now. NXT Superstars make it a point to deliver the best performance possible on this night and their efforts have given us some of the greatest matches in recent memory.
Now that NXT TakeOver is mere days away from reaching an impressive milestone, let's take a look at 30 exciting things you need to know about the black and gold brand.
#30 A roster history to be proud of
Here are some of the biggest WWE Superstars who once honed their skills in WWE NXT: Alexa Bliss, The Shield, The Wyatt Family, The Four Horsewomen, Daniel Bryan, Braun Strowman, and Kevin Owens.
#29 Humble beginnings
NXT first came into the picture as a reality TV show, with contestants gunning for a WWE contract. The rookies of the first season of NXT went on to invade WWE RAW and attacked John Cena in one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.
#28 The NXT North American title debuts
The secondary NXT title was introduced on the road to WrestleMania 34 in 2018, and Adam Cole became the inaugural Champion by winning a 6-Man Ladder match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The other contestants in the match were EC3, Killian Dain, Lars Sullivan, Ricochet, and Velveteen Dream.
#27 No person has held the NXT North American title twice
Ever since the NXT North American title came into being, there have been six different wrestlers who held the title: Adam Cole, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano, Velveteen Dream, Roderick Strong, and Keith Lee.
#26 Flourishing under the guidance of one of the all-time greats
In 2014, WWE veteran William Regal was appointed as the new General Manager of the NXT brand. He has been doing an incredible job over the past few years and is still going strong as the brand's GM.
#25 NXT ArRIVAL makes history
NXT ArRIVAL was the first live event that WWE streamed on its network. A 2-hour event, NXT ArRIVAL took place on February 27, 2014.
#24 Finn Balor shines at NXT TakeOver: London
NXT TakeOver: London (December 2015) made history by becoming the first-ever TakeOver that wasn't broadcast from the USA. The main event of the historic show saw Finn Balor successfully defending his NXT title against Samoa Joe.
#23 Samoa Joe makes history
At TakeOver: Toronto, which took place on November 19, 2016, Samoa Joe became the first competitor to win the NXT title for the second time. He achieved the feat by defeating Shinsuke Nakamura in a hard-hitting 20-minute outing.
#22 NXT's ever-growing relationship with Full Sail University
Full Sail University has been NXT's home for a long time now. The partnership began way back in May 2012 and significant contributions have been made towards scholarship funds for students who are enrolled at the university.
#21 NXT expands its horizons
Back in August 2015, NXT held the first TakeOver event outside Full Sail University. The event was named TakeOver: Brooklyn and emanated from the Barclays Center.
#20 The arrival of the NXT Tag Team Championships
The NXT Tag Team titles were introduced in 2013. The British Ambition, consisting of Adrian Neville and Oliver Grey, became the inaugural Champions by defeating Erick Rowan and Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family.
#19 Some interesting stats about the NXT Tag Team titles
So far, we have had 21 Tag Team title reigns, with a total of 18 different Tag Teams holding the coveted belts. Moustache Mountain holds the record of the shortest reign, lasting a mere 22 days.
#18 NXT Women's Championship debuts
The NXT Women's title was introduced in April 2013, with Paige defeating Emma to become the first-ever Champion. The contest was the culmination of an 8-woman elimination tournament.
#17 Some interesting stats about the NXT Women's title
12 NXT Women's title reigns have been recorded so far, with 10 different women holding the belt. Some of the most notable names to have held the belt are Paige, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Asuka.
#16 Asuka's impressive record
The Empress of Tomorrow is the longest-reigning NXT Women's Champion. She held the belt for a total of 522 days. At the second spot is Shayna Baszler, who was Champion for 416 days.
#15 The winners of the first four seasons of NXT
The first season of NXT was won by Wade Barrett, who then turned rogue and led the other contestants in a battle against WWE that culminated at SummerSlam 2010. Kaval, Kaitlyn, and Fandango won the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th seasons, respectively.
#14 Drew McIntyre's quest resumes
After his forgettable run that ended in 2014, Drew McIntyre came back to WWE and joined NXT. He defeated Bobby Roode at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III to win the NXT Championship and became the first-ever Scotsman to do so.
#13 Guiding the Superstars of tomorrow
Several WWE Superstars acted as mentors to NXT rookies during the early incarnations of the brand. The most interesting relationship that came out of this arrangement was that of The Miz and Daniel Bryan, who went on to feud on several occasions on the main roster.
#12 Seth Rollins etches his name in history
Current WWE Superstar Seth Rollins was the first-ever NXT Champion. He defeated Jinder Mahal in the finals of a tournament on July 26, 2012, to bag the gold.
#11 Triumph on international grounds
NXT's title belts have been defended and won in four different countries so far: the USA, Japan, Canada, and England.
#10 Charlotte Flair reigns supreme at a historical event
The first TakeOver event streamed on the WWE Network emanated from the Full Sail University in May 2014. Charlotte Flair defeated Natalya to win the vacant NXT Women's title on this night.
#9 No boundaries whatsoever
The past 29 TakeOver events have been held in a wide variety of locations. Some of the most notable ones include Brooklyn, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and Orlando.
#8 The Royal Rumble winner targets an NXT Champion
Earlier this year, Charlotte Flair won the Women's Royal Rumble. She didn't target the RAW or SmackDown Women's Champions on the Road to WrestleMania and decided to compete for Rhea Ripley's NXT Women's title after weeks' worth of trash-talking between the two.
#7 Triple H speaks about the future of NXT
In a recent interview, The Game opened up on the future of NXT. Here's what he said:
We have a lot of stars. There are a lot of hungry young athletes, and the pipeline to bring in more as they continue to train and get better is very exciting. The future is very bright in that regard.
With the likes of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and William Regal at the helm, NXT is destined to flourish further in the coming years.
#6 A diverse roster
The current NXT roster consists of wrestlers from a wide variety of countries. Chelsea Green hails from Canada, while Xia Li has come all the way from China. Mansoor is the first-ever Saudi-Arabian Superstar in WWE history. The gigantic duo dubbed as Indus Sher is of Indian descent.
#5 NXT gets a chance to shine at the Fall Classic
Survivor Series 2019 was the first event of its kind to include the NXT brand. It was also the first PPV to feature Triple Brand Survivor Series Elimination matches.
#4 NXT reigns supreme over RAW and SmackDown
The NXT roster won a bunch of major tri-brand matches at the Survivor Series 2019 PPV. Rhea Ripley's Team NXT defeated the teams of the other two brands. The Undisputed Era's Roderick Strong defeated AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura, while Shayna Baszler came out victorious in her outing against Becky Lynch and Bayley.
#3 Bayley and Sasha Banks' defining moment
The current best friends competed in a classic encounter at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015. Banks defended her title against Bayley and the latter won the belt after almost 20 minutes of fast-paced action. The bout was voted Match of the Year at the NXT Year-end Awards.
#2 Some interesting stats about the NXT Championship
There have been 19 NXT title reigns so far and 17 different men have held the belt. The list contains a who's who of WWE greats, including Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens.
#1 The longest-reigning NXT Champion
Adam Cole is the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history and has held the belt for a whopping 403 days. The closest wrestler to him is Finn Balor, with his reign lasting 292 days.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
