10 Best "Passing Of The Torch" Matches In WWE History
9. Sami Zayn Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)
Sami Zayn became NXT’s franchise players by capturing the NXT Championship from Neville in December 2014. It was a career-making performance, perhaps the best male singles match in NXT history, but one that came with a bittersweet tinge. The debuting Kevin Owens destroyed him in the aftermath, starting the latest chapter of their five-year rivalry, and leading to the events that would eventually accelerate Sami’s departure from NXT.
Zayn injured himself while wrestling John Cena on an episode of Monday Night Raw, but on-air, the injury was attributed to Owens. It took seven months for him to recover, but NXT had moved on without him. Finn Bálor had become NXT Champion, and Zayn was unsuccessful in his quest to get his belt back. With a main roster career beckoning, the clock was ticking on Sami’s Full Sail career, and William Regal recognised this.
NXT’s General Manager booked Zayn to face the debuting Shinsuke Nakamura in Dallas. It was Zayn’s final match in developmental, and an incredible way to go out. The duo beat the absolute tar out of each other for the best part of 20 minutes, and in victory, Nakamura essentially inherited Sami’s mantle as NXT’s top babyface. Zayn made a full-time departure for Raw soon after, while Nakamura became a two-time NXT Champion by the year’s end.