10 Best NXT Matches Of 2016
7. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs Finn Balor (NXT)
Before Finn Balor made the move to the main roster, he squared off against his former New Japan peer Shinsuke Nakamura on NXT TV in July. Seeing two former major NJPW stars facing one another in a WWE ring is, again, something we never thought we'd see.
Balor, looking to prove he was still the man in NXT, used his speed and athleticism to try and catch Nakamura off guard early on. However, once Nakamura started to lay in his stiff strikes against his foe, Balor switched tactics and started locking in some creative submissions to work on Nakamura's legs and keep him grounded.
The match built to a suitably epic conclusion and you could definitely see the Japanese wrestling influence on the bout, with the creative counters and last second kickouts of big moves as the match reached its final minutes. It took several Kinshasa's from Nakamura to keep Balor down in a fitting big match farewell for the face of NXT for the last couple of years.