Ranking What Was REALLY The Best Wrestling PPV Every Year 1990-2020

6. 2015 - NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn

bayley sasha banks
WWE.com

A wonderful professional wrestling show - not just great, but wonderful - the first TakeOver: Brooklyn was the perfect version of NXT because it wasn't cynical nor super-intense. It didn't (just) book the most popular super-indie drawing cards and claim weird ownership over them with a handshake.

This was developmental as meritocracy; Bayley and Sasha Banks, very promising standouts in a cult, niche scene, were nonetheless not Kevin Owens and Finn Bálor. They didn't arrive aglow with the cool buzz of NJPW or ROH. They, under Dusty Rhodes, developed their characters, which, recognised as organic rivals by Ryan Ward, collided in a superb programme. At Brooklyn, the zenith, they worked an incredible, emotional, nasty, pulsating triumph - one of the best WWE matches ever. There are babyface comebacks, and there's Bayley fighting back from a broken hand Sasha stamped on like it was a fire.

Bayley and Banks stole a show - from what was still a great ladder match - that, for sh*ts and giggles seemingly, also had Jushin Liger open it in a fun match against Tyler Breeze.

Seminal when it was good and feel-good even when it was mid, WWE, inexplicably, was the babyface promotion five years ago.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!