Ranking Every WWE PPV Of 2020 (So Far)

2. NXT TakeOver: In Your House

Charlotte Flair Rhea Ripley Io Shirai
WWE.com

Who could've known that the comparative dorkiness of a mid-90s, cartoonish pay-per-view series could mix so well with NXT's counter culture heavy metal bad-assery? WWE brought the In Your House concept out of retirement for the latest TakeOver special, and it was blistering despite the lack of natural atmosphere.

An opening six-woman melee proved (yet again) that tag matches opening shows should be law, and Finn Bálor gave Damian Priest his best WWE match thus far right after that. To the shock of exactly nobody, Keith Lee vs. Johnny Gargano almost stole the night with their North American Title effort too - what a match that was.

The in vogue cinematic style returned for a 'Backlot Brawl' between Adam Cole and Velveteen Dream; that one, oddly, didn't reach the level of filmic thrills or comedic flourishes provided by MITB or WrestleMania, but it was hardly unwatchable. Besides, the follow-up Triple Threat women's headliner and Io Shirai's title win ended the night on a high.

This was the best wrestling show of WWE's empty arena era, bar none.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.