10 Times NXT Black & Gold Was Better Than Literally EVERYTHING
3. NXT Takeover R Evolution
Despite being a contender for one of the worst PPV names WWE have ever used, TakeOver R Evolution is perhaps no better example of NXT as a statement. The first two events were decent fun but 2014's was where NXT stood up, looked at Raw and SmackDown and said, "we are not the same".
At first glance, the card seems quaint and there are only forty-five minutes of action in two hours. Corbin smashes through Dillinger in less than a minute. Charlotte defends the title against Sasha Banks for the first time in a swift twelve minutes, but she does so kicking off a five+ year rivalry. Exciting NJPW signees Finn Balor and Hideo Itami team together against developmental stalwarts The Ascension in a minor grudge match. Also of note, Corey Graves starts his commentary career this night.
But the turning point that takes place at R Evolution is super babyface Sami Zayn reaching the peak of the mountain, gaining the NXT Championship and embracing his long-time companion and new NXT signee Kevin Owens. And, in the last two minutes of the show, the inevitable happens with Owens wiping Zayn out with a powerbomb on the apron.
Conversely, that weekend WWE had ran a TLC PPV event with a "stairs" match between the Big Show and Erick Rowan. Riveting.