10 WWE Matches Fans Couldn’t Give A Sh*t About After Watching A Classic

2. Finn Bálor Vs Kevin Owens (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn)

Lita Jazz Trish Stratus
WWE.com

WWE documentary cameras picked even picked it up at the time - Kevin Owens knew he was in for a tough night.

The former NXT Champion was about to have his last shot at the title on his final night for the developmental brand. It had been a meteoric rise for the 'Prizefighter' through the Full Sail ranks, with a Brooklyn Ladder match positioned as the closing chapter of his rivalry with Finn Bálor just 24 hours before he competed at SummerSlam no longer doing double duty across the divide.

Unfortunately for the pair, their brutally bruising brawl wouldn't linger long in the memory thanks to the phenomenal fight it followed. Sasha Banks and Bayley had just had the greatest women's match in WWE history - perhaps even the best to ever take place in North America.

Owens and Bálor were capable of much, not least when armed with a steel ladder. But the Barclays Center in August 2015 was neither their place nor time. 'The Boss' and 'The Hugger' had shocked the world in a way even Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker couldn't compete with the next night. Owens defeated Cesaro in an even more forgettable effort at the 'Biggest Party Of The Summer' in the contest just before that one. It wasn't his weekend.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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