13 Best WWE Matches Of 2016 (So Far)
9. NXT Women's Championship Match: Asuka Vs. Bayley - TakeOver: Dallas
In August, in front of the biggest NXT crowd to date, Bayley realized her girlhood dream by defeating Sasha Banks to win the women's championship in one of the most emotional matches in brand history.
On April 2, in front of a rabid fan base in Dallas, that dream would turn into a nightmare as she ran into an unstoppable buzzsaw in the form of Asuka.
The Japanese star had torn a hole through the NXT women's division, dispatching of anyone unlucky enough to encounter her. With a series of unforgiving strikes and an Asuka Lock finisher that threatened to rip the shoulder out of socket of any Superstar that opposed her, she was as dangerous as she was beautiful. She was the toughest challenger to Bayley's title to date.
The story of the match was a thing of beauty and one not typically seen in WWE. Bayley may have been the champion, a competitor who had showed tremendous heart and resiliency in battling her other opponents, but she simply was not good enough to beat Asuka. No matter what she threw at the Japanese star, the challenger had an answer for it.
With nothing left to dish out, Bayley found herself trapped in the Asuka Lock. It was against her nature to tapout so rather than giving up, she passed out from the pain, her title ripped away from her by the better woman.
Fans sat in stunned silence as Asuka celebrated her title, refusing to believe the utter dismantling they had just witnessed.