There are few sure things in professional wrestling, but in NXT TakeOver, Triple H's once-developmental brand has crafted an aura and mystique around a show that - perhaps more than any major pay-per-view brand ever - guarantees floor-to-ceiling excellence.
Too young to be held up against the standards set by monoliths such as WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble (but in the latter's case, just barely), TakeOver has otherwise surpassed ever other major company event in expectation, prestige and delivery.
Foundationally sound from the moment it launched, TakeOver's growth from Full Sail to arenas came with an increased quality that insisted upon every match being a potential showstealer. Carefully curating all the best bits of all the top independents sans bloat and indulgence, TakeOvers became festivals of everybody's favourite bits from all wrestling, smartly capturing the lost love of lapsed WWE fans or those prone to NJPW or alternative products.
In a decade of tremendous change and tumult, TakeOver has become a still point in a wrestling's turning world. Here's to more of the same in the 2020s.
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
