Ranking every NXT Takeover of 2017

There is a promotion/brand today that has created a devoted and passionate following among wrestling fans, and that is WWE's NXT brand. Often heralded as being like independent wrestling with the resources of a major company, fans are invested in the product and celebrate its success.

So it comes as no surprise that, with the increase in popularity there has been an increase in the number of major events it holds.

Over the last few years, these events have coincided with the major pay-per-view for WWE's flagship brands. Throughout 2017, in NXT, a number of talented stars either debuted, turned on their partners, left, or suffered injuries.

It was a year full of highs and lows for the talent, and fans remained faithful to the product and watched keenly with each and every event. What stood out as the best of the best, and what left fans wanting more? Here, we rank every NXT Takeover for 2017.

---

#5 NXT Takeover: Orlando

Even though it is normally home to NXT weekly, the pay per view event didn't seem as strong this year

Despite falling on April Fool's Day, NXT Takeover: Orlando made sure it was no joke. The event was held at the Amway Centre in Orlando, Florida, and featured interesting matches, including a mixed eight-person tag match pitting all the members of Sanity against Tye Dillinger, Kassius Oho, Roderick Strong and Ruby Riot.

There was a tremendous match where Bobby Roode defended his NXT championship in what would be Shinsuke Nakamura's last match in NXT, and there was an incredible triple threat NXT tag team championship match involving the Authors of Pain, DIY and The Revival.

Other matches didn't hold up, though, because of lack of time or lack of overall storytelling compared to other NXT events during the year.

When Aleister Black defeats Andrade ‘Cien' Almas in less than ten minutes and Asuka defeats Ember Moon in just over twelve minutes there is something wrong. Asuka did everything in her power to come out victorious over the seeming heir apparent in Moon.

#4 NXT Takeover: San Antonio

Despite an enthusiastic Texas crowd it didn't quite hold up to the others on the list for the year

During the WWE's Royal Rumble weekend in January, the NXT brand held their NXT Takeover: San Antonio of 2017. The event showcased five separate matches and was notable as two championships changed hands. First, the Authors of Pain defeated DIY to capture the NXT tag team championships, and then fans witnessed Bobby Roode defeat Shinsuke Nakamura for the NXT Championship in a nearly thirty-minute match.

The other matches on the card didn't seem to get enough build up to enable the fans to be emotionally invested. For example, after having a rivalry for weeks with each other, Eric Young and Tye Dillinger's match lasted just over ten minutes.

The NXT women's championship match went less than ten minutes, which was surprising given how Asuka's challengers, Peyton Royce and Nikki Cross had been built up. The event deserved more build up and execution, considering that one of the WWE's four major pay per views was to take place the following day.

#3 NXT Takeover: War Games

The return of War Games after two decades made this Takeover quite the event

As the final NXT Takeover for 2017, WWE didn't hold anything back, both in terms of booking decisions and storytelling. We saw the destruction caused by Lars Sullivan, respect earned from Aleister Black by Velveteen Dream, a new NXT women's champion in Ember Moon, a new NXT champion in Andrade ‘Cien' Almas, and a massive three-team War Games involving The Undisputed Era, Roderick Strong and the Authors of Pain, and Sanity.

The crowd was clearly involved in these matches, understandably since they gave viewers something amazing to watch.

For all the pros that resonated from the event, there were some things that were surprising. The length of the NXT women's championship match was less than ten minutes, despite involving four women who could all have laid claim to the title, especially since they all battled Asuka for it except Kairi Sane.

Also, as pleased as we are that Andrade ‘Cien'Almas won, the injury suffered by McIntryre near the end of the match made it a little off-putting.

#2 NXT Takeover: Chicago

The raucous Chicago crowd made this Takeover a solid event

From the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, NXT Takeover: Chicago took place on May 20th, 2017. The event involved some incredible matches that told remarkable stories that thoroughly engaged the audience.

There was a triple threat match that saw Asuka retain her NXT women's championship over Nikki Cross and Ruby Riot, and Roderick Strong and Eric Young went head-to-head, showcasing what two well-established and experienced pros can do against one another. Those watching also saw Bobby Roode defend his NXT Championship against Hideo Itami, in what turned out to be the beginning of a heel turn for the Japanese star.

However, the matches between the Authors of Pain and DIY, and Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate, stood out as the most notable matches of the night. Fans witnessed a heel turn by Tomasso Ciampa, as he beat down his partner Johnny Gargano after a twenty-minute battle against the NXT tag team champions.

Dunne and Bate went all out in what could easily be considered a match of the year candidate, and Dunne walked away as the new WWE United Kingdom Championship.

#1 NXT Takeover III: Brooklyn

Once again NXT Takeover Brooklyn tops the list as the best event of the year

This was the third consecutive Takeover event in Brooklyn, held, like the previous two years, during Summerslam weekend. Fans were ensured that something special was going to happen, and they weren't disappointed with the outcome.

The event began with a near fifteen-minute match between Andrade ‘Cien' Almas and Johnny Gargano that saw Almas come away victorious after Zelina Vega threw a #DIY t-shirt in the face of Johnny Wrestling. A stunned and distracted Gargano was caught off guard, causing him to end up losing.

This being Asuka's last NXT Takeover, she showed just why she is deserving of her undefeated record. However, the event shines as the best of all the events this year because of Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish's involvement after the NXT Tag team championship match, and Adam Cole's involvement after the NXT Championship match, during which Drew McIntyre captured the title from Bobby Roode.

The event ended with Fish, Cole, and O'Reilly standing over the fallen McIntyre, shocking the system in the process.