Every NXT TakeOver Main Event In History: Ranked

There is going to be a clear theme in this list, in the sense that the sequels will rarely surpass the originals. This is the case with the Samoa Joe/Shinsuke Nakamura saga.

It could be argued that their second encounter was a tad more physical than the first, but there isn’t denying that the match played out very similarly to the first. Just like Joe’s cage match with Balor, it was very much the same sequences and same set-up, just with a bit more effort put into the moves. The only major difference was the added element of Joe targeting Nakamura’s leg to weaken the Kinsasha. Yes, this was an effective move that brought the crowd into the match more, however, it was immediately all undone when Nakamura didn’t overcome this in a huge, rallying comeback. Instead, Joe hit a Muscle Buster and just like that the match was over.

The match felt like it was cut short of its crescendo and the result sucked all the energy that was left out of the crowd, who weren’t happy to see Nakamura’s reign end just 3 months in. Shock results can be successful sometimes, this wasn’t one of those times.