Ranking Every NXT TakeOver From Worst To Best

14. WarGames (2019)

Finn Bálor Samoa Joe
WWE.com

The best incarnation of the NXT-adapted stipulation show thus far, 2019's double-cage TakeOver benefitted from the black-and-gold brand's spectacular women's division, a screen-melting surprise and a white hot Chicago crowd.

Opening the event with a furious flourish, the first ever women's WarGames was an unabashed triumph, enhanced by Dakota Kai's brutal mid-match turn on her best friend Tegan Nox and Rhea Ripley's stature-enhancing win for her team over Shayna Baszler. Matt Riddle and Finn Bálor kept it simple in trying earnestly to kick the sh*t out of each other whilst a three way between Pete Dunne, Damian Priest and Killian Dain for the right to face NXT Champion Adam Cole the night after the show was far better than the midcard triple threat that dragged the Toronto card down earlier that year.

The main event between Team Ciampa and The Undisputed Era was a Hollywood blockbuster of an encounter, loaded with explosive spots, a wild character re-introduction and the most satisfactory of ginormous endings. Ciampa put Cole through a table from the top of the cage after Kevin Owens' emotional NXT homecoming helped steer the babyfaces to a win.

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