21 WWE Matches That Almost Got 5 Stars
5. Sami Zayn Vs. Adrian Neville (NXT Takeover: R Evolution)
Around late 2014, it became clear that the main WWE product was badly losing an arms race to NXT. Whereas RAW and SmackDown were becoming a same-y, tacky advertisement for the WWE Network featuring the same guys on top, NXT was offering fresh, exciting storylines with new talent putting on excellent matches. The center of this revolution was Sami Zayn, the top babyface of the promotion, as a lengthy story followed his journey to the NXT Championship. After several failed opportunities, Zayn had one last chance against longtime rival Adrian Neville to achieve his dream.
In a dramatic, high-flying encounter in front of a fired-up Full Sail crowd, the amiable Zayn stuck to his principles and managed a clean, decisive victory over Neville, being congratulated by the NXT roster.
This match is probably most well-known for the segment that followed, in which the newly-debuted Kevin Owens turned on his friend Sami. It also suffers from Rich Brennan's terrible commentary. However, none of that should take away from this match's place as the pinnacle of NXT's first peak era.