10 Underrated NXT TakeOver Matches You Need To Revist
Some hidden gems from the best wrestling in WWE.
What did we do to deserve NXT TakeOvers? Actually, we endured years and years of poor-quality content from main roster WWE. Maybe that was it?
Since the very first event from Full Sail in 2014, NXT TakeOver has grown from a one-off special to an institution - a guaranteed great match factory with more drama than a high school after-party.
TakeOvers have given us so many wonderful moments and matches - from Sami Zayn vs Shinsuke Nakamura in Dallas, the #UY vs Revival rivalry of 2016, and who could forget Sasha Banks taking on Bayley at the very first Brooklyn show.
But what about the matches that don't get remember? The great and the good that have slipped through the cracks and almost been lost to history?
The following ten bouts from across TakeOvers past are just as good (if not better) than the ones that the fans and the company put on a pedestal. Amazing displays of athleticism, fantastic story-telling, and even some truly era-altering moments have taken place in these matches. Definitely worth remembering then.
As NXT takes over everyone's house, let's revisit some of these hidden gems from the black and gold brand.
10. Bobby Roode Vs Hideo Itami – Chicago I
The first TakeOver: Chicago show is famous for two things. One is the incredible UK Championship match between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne. The other is Alexander Wolfe's incredible trousers during the opening match. And then there was something to do with Tommaso Ciampa turning on Johnny Gargano and starting the greatest rivalry in NXT history.
As it was such a stacked show, people often forget that this match even took place - despite the fact that it was for the NXT Championship.
Hideo Itami was back in NXT after two huge stints on the shelf with injury. Itami had missed out on the massive expansion of the NXT brand, forced to watch from home as his peers became bigger and bigger stars.
His plucky babyface character was pitched perfectly against ruthless champion, Bobby Roode, who vowed that Itami would never achieve his dream in "his NXT".
The match had a real old-school feel to it - Roode really embodied that '80s style of big match wrestling that could elevate a bout to the next level.
Both men played their roles to perfection and Itami's loss played into his eventually heel turn, which Itami has taken with him to New Japan Pro Wrestling.