Ranking Every NXT TakeOver From Worst To Best

16. Orlando

Finn Bálor Samoa Joe
WWE.com

Shinsuke Nakamura's NXT farewell main event resulted in a Bobby Roode sequel far superior to the original - 'The Glorious One' had become the Champion in January but only felt like it after April. The sort of understated triumph some fans are now clamouring for in the superworker era of the black-and-gold brand, this was furiously hard-fought and worthy of the 'King Of Strong Style's swansong.

Underneath it in placement if not quality, a three way Tag Team Title clash featuring the Authors Of Pain, #DIY and The Revival was an equally epic sendoff for Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder. A masterpiece of a layout saw the four smaller men combine all their biggest hitters in frustrated compromise to take down the dominant champions. That they both failed only enhanced the aura of Akam and Rezar.

A lot happened here to shore up the future of a show still recovering from several big losses in 2016. Asuka's desperate victory over Ember Moon got the future Champion over in narrow defeat to set up their Summer rematch, Aleister Black got over-ish in his debut showcase against a still-floundering Andrade 'Cien' Almas and a mixed tag eight-person opener was way better than it had any right to be.

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