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

5. 2016 - NXT TakeOver: Dallas

Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn
WWE.com

An incredible, life-affirming show, TakeOver: Dallas was wonderfully emblematic of the old NXT.

Chad Gable and Jason Jordan - two genuine, rare developmental success stories - were "WWE guys", but they felt like our own. We watched their journey unfold, and we watched their success realised in a scintillating southern-style tag that decorated the super-dramatic foundation with boundless creative athleticism.

Asuka defeated Bayley to transition into a new era of women's wrestling in WWE, resonating over its 15 heart-pounding minutes as the most formidable force in the entire game. That was until Shinsuke Nakamura arrived as the biggest star in the entire world to defeat Sami Zayn in an electric, massive match awe-inspiring in its physicality. This was a new world, Nakamura's, and we were living in it.

Sh*tty luck couldn't even spoil it; the stop/start nature of Finn Bálor Vs. Samoa Joe, and the latter's monstrous drive to overcome it, only highlighted the idea that change was inevitable, even if Vince McMahon didn't recognise it.

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!