10 Worst Ever NXT TakeOver Matches

1. Samoa Joe Vs Baron Corbin (Brooklyn)

Samoa Joe Baron Corbin
WWE

Samoa Joe got off to a rocky start in the WWE system.

After a huge debut appearance to stare down NXT Champion Kevin Owens at NXT Unstoppable, he worked a dark match before a Raw taping with Tyson Kidd and ended up shelving the Canadian for 18 months (and counting) with a severe spinal injury following a Muscle Buster.

Subsequent appearances on NXT television (including a Title match against Owens) failed to live up to the standard fans knew him capable of following excellent spells in TNA and Ring of Honor.

It would be a feud with Finn Balor that would help Joe turn a corner, but before that he contested a woefully disappointing match with Baron Corbin at what most consider to be the best ever TakeOver event.

Corbin was heavily pushed in NXT in 2015, and had wiped out several midcarders in order to earn a match with the 'Samoan Submission Machine', but the contest was a total bore that hurt both guys after the ten minute snoozer ended with Corbin passing out in the Coquina Clutch.

The finish was designed to protect Baron as he suffered one of his only televised losses in 2015, but it did little for Joe, who failed again to show the killer instinct everybody knew he was capable of.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett