10 Best Matches In NXT TakeOver History

10. Finn Balor Vs. Kevin Owens (TakeOver: Brooklyn, 2015)

NXT has produced some borderline classic events over the past few years, and Brooklyn ranks among the best. An outstanding card from top-to-bottom, it featured one of the best WWE women’s matches in recent memory (we’ll get to that later), and was headlined by this Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens ladder match.

They initially had a tough time capturing the crowd’s imagination after the women’s match, and while this NXT Title match wasn’t quite on-par with Owens and Balor’s WWE Beast in the East clash, it remains a thrilling match.

Owens had dropped the NXT Championship to Balor one month prior, and Brooklyn was presented as his last shot at regaining it from The Irishman. Ladder matches can be tough psychologically, particularly in one-on-one situations without any other wrestlers to help set the ladder spots up, and Balor and Owens did well to prevent things from descending into a spotfest. The big moments flowed together seamlessly, and Owens was particularly excellent in his domineering bully role, especially when interacting with the crowd.

They won the hot crowd over by the end, and when Finn Balor climbed the ladder to retrieve the belt, it was the last time fans would ever see Owens in NXT. Bigger things awaited KO on the main roster, while Balor was now fully established as NXT’s icon.