10 Best NXT Matches Of 2019 (So Far)
8. Velveteen Dream Vs Matt Riddle (TakeOver: New York)
A thrilling clash of styles underpinned by underrated character work from two men that are advanced beyond any reasoned expectations, the North American Championship match between Matt Riddle and Velveteen Dream very fittingly cast two of the best relative newcomers as the chief candidates to battle for NXT's secondary strap.
Equal parts fun and functionally hard as all f*ck, Riddle's initial confidence was suddenly cast asunder by Dream's charismatic cockiness. More go than "Bro", he dug deep into his MMA arsenal to overawe the young Champion, forcing him to either find the escape or fight for it. Dream, legitimising his histrionics, managed both.
Triggering scowls and scorn from the typically-tepid Challenger, he refused to stay down when others with his arrogance would have bottled the big moments. Relighting the babyface fire he'd summoned for a tantalising near-miss against Tommaso Ciampa months earlier, Dream's age could no longer be betrayed by his overwhelming pizzazz, instead driving his desire to remain atop the mountain. Wide-eyed and wild, his fight was imbued by a Brooklyn crowd split before Riddle's wicked character work shunted them over to his opponent's side.
The finish - a wrapped roll-up cribbed from two genius Bret Hart finishes two decades prior - completed the in-match reframing of the real-life wrestler lurking beneath the Dream.