25 Best Wrestling Shows EVER

20. NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

25 Thumb Final
WWE.com

There may have been “better” TakeOver shows on a strict match-by-match basis - New Orleans springs to mind - but the vibe and the sentiment of Brooklyn I was just ideal. NXT, at the time, felt like it was the answer. It was your brand, and, when it hit the big stage of the Barclays Center, it was validation. Your vision of wrestling was happening, and it was better than the main roster. This was a bird-flip to Vince McMahon - so much so that it almost felt, somehow, like he mustn’t have known about it.

Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger beat Tyler Breeze in the opener. It wasn’t actually that good, but it hardly mattered: it was neat and driven by incredulous fan investment. The undercard wasn’t great between the ropes, but the sight of Samoa Joe simply being Samoa Joe carried his so-so effort against Baron Corbin. That match worked on a symbolic level: WWE had seemingly embraced a new, better version of its favoured big man. 

Bayley Vs. Sasha Banks was a masterpiece. A committed, dramatic war in which everything looked so goddamn nasty, it was flawless. The demented action, ideal character contrast, heat, theatre, feel-good finish. You will struggle to find a more vital and inch-perfect story told across 18 minutes. 

The main event wasn’t as great, but it was still great: Finn Bálor defeated Kevin Owens in a ladder match that compensated for its lack of emotional heft by unleashing a torrent of violence. 

A two-match show, yes, but one of the better ones.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!