10 Best Matches In WWE NXT History
8. Bobby Roode Vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (TakeOver: Orlando) (2017)
It was fitting that Shinsuke Nakamura should have saved what was probably his best NXT performance for this, his farewell match, against Bobby Roode at TakeOver: Orlando in April last year.
In a way, the entrances alone would have been enough to make this a five-star encounter, but on the night we got much, much more: flawless technical wrestling, great drama, and a host of near-falls so close that the crowd were practically breathless by the final bell.
What gave this the edge over their first encounter at the Royal Rumble was the story that had began to bubble around their feud. Roode just seemed to have the King of Strong Style's number, forever able to get his shoulder up at the very last second.
Between this and the three-way NXT Tag Team Title bout on the same night, TakeOver: Orlando comfortably bettered the WrestleMania show with which it shared the weekend. It was yet more evidence that the developmental creative team are far more skilled (or perhaps merely under fewer constraints) than their main roster counterparts.