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WWE NXT Takeover: Portland was an amazing pay-per-view that saw a title change hands, a shocking betrayal, and a confirmed WrestleMania match.
Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne defeated The Undisputed Era’s Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions. Keith Lee, Rhea Ripley, and Adam Cole successfully defended their titles while Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, Dakota Kai, and Tegan Nox impressed us with their respective matches.
The PPV also saw Charlotte Flair challenging Ripley for the NXT Championship and the two are now set to compete for the title at WrestleMania. To top it all, Gargano betrayed Tommaso Ciampa and cost him his NXT title.
It is fair to say that the Takeover delivered as per our expectations once again. In this list, we will take a look at the top 5 performers of the night. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#5 Johnny Gargano
It is almost impossible to compile a list that discusses the top performers at a Takeover event and not include Johnny Takeover in it. The former NXT Champion didn’t disappoint in his match against Finn Balor and continued his legacy of delivering brilliant performances at the Black and Gold brand-exclusive PPV.
Gargano returned to in-ring action after spending three months on the sideline, recovering from an injury that was the direct result of Balor’s shocking heel turn. Both Superstars were expected to square off in a dream match ever since the Prince returned to NXT. Their match at Takeover may have not lived up to the expectations of a few fans because of the high expectations from Superstars of their caliber.
But it is important to understand that they are probably going to engage in a long feud. Their best performance in the ring will leave no room for a better one which will directly affect their storyline. Just like their Takeover battle, Balor and Gargano started a much-awaited narration and will slowly build-up on it.
Even though it wasn’t the best encounter between the two, it was still one of the best matches of the night. Gargano complied with the demands of the Creatives extremely well and despite losing, he is one of our top performers for the night.
#4 Finn Balor
Finn Balor’s return to NXT and his heel turn had the wrestling fans excited because we were finally going to see him explore his full potential. Everyone was excited to see him inside the squared circle, battling it out against his nemesis in a well-constructed storyline.
His feud with Johnny Gargano was the best way to kick off his second run on the Black and Gold brand and we finally saw him doing what he does best at Takeover. He played his role as a heel to perfection. The only reason why I’ve ranked him higher than Gargano is the antics he pulled off during the match.
He seized every opportunity to get under the skin of his opponent and did not shy away from establishing himself as the bigger bully. Although Balor won the match, he did enough to help elevate Gargano’s position in the company and add more credibility to his name. They will definitely go toe-to-toe once again and it will be interesting to see the other tricks that the Prince has up his sleeve.
#3 BroserWeights
Before we even begin to celebrate the performance of this newly crowned NXT Tag Team, let’s take a moment to appreciate the chemistry between Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne. Both these Superstars were engaged in completely different storylines until they were asked to team up and participate in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They went on to win the tournament and the rest is history.
At Takeover, the BroserWeights challenged The Undisputed Era’s Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly. Both Riddle and Dunne knocked their own teammate by mistake at two separate occasions during the match. However, they still managed to come together and give a tough competition to the Champions who have relatively more experience in working as tag team.
The BroserWeights borrowed a page from their opponent’s book and started synchronizing their attacks once we were half-way through the match. Both Riddle and Dunne worked their heart out in keeping the Champions down and ultimately walked out with the Tag Team gold.
I certainly credit Fish and O’Reilly for their contribution in an encounter that accounted for the second-best match of the night. But the BroserWeights, without a doubt, exceeded our expectations and hence, are the ones who get a spot in this ranking.
#2 Keith Lee
Keith Lee was one of the breakout stars of 2019 as he delivered one compelling performance after another. He displayed his in-ring capabilities at Takeover: WarGames, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble. In fact, it’s common knowledge that the ‘Moment Maker’ impressed Vince McMahon enough to be picked as the next big thing.
Therefore, it was not surprising to see him enter the title picture soon after. He defeated The Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong and became the NXT North American Champion. At Takeover, he successfully defended his title against Dominik Dijakovic in the best match of the night, and arguably the best opening match in Takeover history.
Lee, as always, was super agile between the ropes and pulled off maneuvers that you don’t expect to see from someone who weighs above 300 pounds. From a dominant display of strength to his high-flying moves, Lee left no stone unturned in making yet another memorable moment inside the squared circle.
His performance in the whole match added more credibility to his title defense and showed why he deserves to hold onto the title for the foreseeable future.
#1 Dominik Dijakovic
Usually, when I include two Superstars from the same match in my list of top performers, I give extra credit to the winner. But Dominik Dijakovic forced me to change my norm with his performance at the recently concluded Takeover event.
Dijakovic and Keith Lee share a long history. They have been at each other’s throat and have also been together when they went into a war against the Undisputed Era. Hence, there were a lot of expectations from this match which was set to feature two Superstars of huge stature battling it out in an encounter that would see them showing off their high-flying skills and unparalleled prowess.
Their match started slow and had a few botches right in the beginning that had the onlookers skeptical about the quality of the rest of their encounter. But no one was prepared for what came next. They absolutely tore the house down with their performance and delivered one brilliant spot after another.
There were many instances during the match when Dijakovic tried to lift Lee and it constituted for wonderful storytelling when he finally managed to lift him towards the end right before slamming him into the mat. Dijakovic may not have won the match but he earned the respect of every single person who watched this spectacular encounter unfold.
After the match, Lee even hugged Dijakovic and allowed the latter to stand on top of the turnbuckle and enjoy the appreciation shown by the crowd. The fact that the champions acknowledged his opponent speaks volumes about the work that was put into this match and the challenger deserved every bit of it.
