10 Best Matches In NXT TakeOver History
5. Bayley Vs. Sasha Banks (TakeOver: Respect, 2015)
NXT’s Four Horsewomen left behind a legacy of excellence that will be tough for current champion Asuka to follow. That’s not taking anything away from The Empress of Tomorrow, who continues to prove her value with her own outstanding performances, but NXT’s Horsewomen helped kick-off WWE’s “Divas Revolution” before the term had even been coined. This was Bayley and Sasha’s second big-time TakeOver showdown, and it delivered on every conceivable level.
Bayley had wrested the Women’s Championship from Sasha’s clutches a few months prior in Brooklyn, and at TakeOver: Respect, NXT’s top two women headlined as the night’s main eventers. The 30-minute Iron Woman match saw the duo wrestle to a 2-2 stalemate just 17 minutes in, and with 13 left on the clock, there was still everything to play for.
The final act came just three seconds prior to the 30-minute mark. In one final act of desperation, Bayley synched Sasha into a modified Rings of Saturn submission, and as she pulled harder and harder, The Boss had no choice but to tap. Triple H, William Regal, and the NXT roster appeared on the ramp to applaud their efforts, and while the match didn’t quite live-up to the standards set in Brooklyn, it was a performance worthy of closing any big wrestling show.
A huge moment for women’s wrestling in WWE and one of the most emotional matches in TakeOver history, Bayley vs. Banks II is worth 30 minutes of anyone’s time.