Ranking Every NXT TakeOver From Worst To Best
1. New York
An exhilarating show that didn’t leave breathing space for a crowd that didn’t request it, TakeOver: New York was perhaps the peak of a genre NXT had perfected as the darling promotion for just about every subsection of the wrestling fanbase. It is, crack-to-cl*t, a near-perfect event and comfortably one of the greatest shows in company (and possibly industry) history.
An opening Tag Team match featuring The War Raiders and the makeshift Aleister Black/Ricochet pairing was an attritional assault in keeping with the Champions’ old moniker. Matt Riddle turned himself heel for the body of a dynamic (Velveteen) Dream match in a fine exhibition of a midcard title elevated by the men wrestling for it. Pete Dunne surrendered a legendary UK Championship reign to the seemingly indestructible Walter Shayna Baszler saw off all her immediate competition in an immaculately paced four way sprint that didn’t allow a tired crowd to snooze nor exhaust themselves for a main event set to be something potentially very special.
Very VERY f*cking special.
Again reflecting perhaps the peak of a genre they’d help craft and curate, Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole brought a sold out crowd to their knees over a vacant title in a fight with no other angle than the prize itself. A triumph beyond even the highest expectations, this was fought as if the end of the world were set to occur the very next day. For many in the audience unable to imagine a time where a show could be this good again, that’s exactly how it felt.