10 Best NXT TakeOver Matches Of 2017
1. Tyler Bate Vs Pete Dunne (Chicago)
More rode on the second high profile meeting between Tyler Bate and Pete Dunne than just the clunky title adorning the 21-year-old's waist. As the two breakout stars from January's United Kingdom Championship tournament, Bate and 'The Bruiserweight' were carrying the weight of expectation and pretty much the entire division as they electrified Chicago with the best WWE-sponsored singles match of the year.
As ITV's World Of Sport offer predictably faded into obscurity, so too did Vince McMahon's interest in his new toy. Network weekly shows turned into one dimly-lit special, with title shots lumped on to NXT to make up the numbers and the rest of the division barely used outside of a humbling week for the whole crew on 205 Live during the company's November UK tour.
This contest was a faint light in the middle of the tunnel.
The British Strong Style partners performed the most amplified versions of their alter-egos, creating a beautiful contrast in how they set about the task at hand. Dunne was deliciously vicious, whilst Bate refused to be drawn beyond his skilled array of moves. Their holds and counter-holds dragged a guttural reactions from the Chicago crowd, with a rare 'Fight Forever' call topped by an almost unheard-of 'UK! UK! UK' chant that would have been trotted out in the 1980s if Jim Duggan was from Exeter.
Pete Dunne's dethroning of his fellow Dudley boy emphasised his mental and physical win. Pushed to breaking after Dunne kicked out from a beautiful corskscrew senton, Bate whiffed on a dive to the floor, making him easy pickings for a Bitter End. It couldn't have been sweeter.