10 Worst Ever NXT TakeOver Matches

8. Baron Corbin Vs Austin Aries (Dallas)

Samoa Joe Baron Corbin
WWE.com

Austin Aries was in a tough spot on the fabled April evening WWE produced one of their best ever pay-per-view/network special events.

A month earlier, his debut with the developmental brand was a major talking point throughout the industry, and the powerful beatdown he suffered from Baron Corbin before he could even address the audience was Corbin's best moment in NXT to date.

The battle lines were clearly drawn between the incoming star and the usurped NXT 'veteran', but in real life it was Aries facing that actual problem, as the spectacle of Shinsuke Nakamura's debut was destined to overshadow his in-ring debut.

On a card with absolutely no filler, it was impossible for the match not to look like the one duffer of the bunch, and Aries and Corbin appeared to play down to expectations with a reductive effort that allowed neither to shine.

As it later turned out, Corbin was due to appear in (and win) the Andre The Giant Battle Royal two nights later at WrestleMania, meaning the pair would need a finish that got Aries over but protected 'The Lone Wolf'.

This was simply not possible, and Austin's lucky roll-up for the victory immediately reduced his 'Greatest Man That Ever Lived' claim mere minutes before Nakamura and Zayn would contest an instant classic match-of-the-year contender.

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