7 PPV Quality Main Events WWE Gave Away For Free

5. Finn Bálor Vs Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT, 13th July 2016)

Vince McMahon Stone Cold Steve Austin Eric Bischoff
WWE.com

A fitting send off for NXT's spiritual leader during the brand's finest ever period, Finn Bálor and Shinsuke Nakamura contested arguably the best match in the history of the Full Sail weekly broadcast in the 'King Of Strong Style's quest to become the 'Icon' of the developmental league.

After an equally scintillating tête-à-tête weeks earlier, the Orlando regulars were at a fever pitch for the absorbing technical classic, that must surely one day see life in front of vastly increased crowd. The pair went strike for strike, with Bálor absorbing an early bombardment from Nakamura to take over on his knee with brutal shots and a wicked submission hold that had the ice cool newcomer screaming in agony.

Shinsuke turned the tide with a riveting comeback after surviving 1916 and a standing Coup De Grace, hitting a flying Kinshasa and an immediate follow-up before Bálor could adequately recover.

Despite having a raft of incredible efforts on NXT, it remains one of Finn's best efforts under the WWE umbrella, and arguably Nakamura's very best outside of his jaw-dropping Dallas debut.

Contributor
Contributor

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