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#1 NXT TakeOver: New Orleans
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If there was one night that could beat out New York, it was NXT TakeOver: New Orleans during Wrestlemania 34 weekend. The culmination of compelling stories, a shocking heel turn and the introduction of a new title to NXT all took place on this one night.
In the opener at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, NXT introduced the North American Championship with six competitors battling in a high-risk ladder match. The debuting EC3 and Ricochet were joined by NXT Superstars, Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, and Adam Cole in this all action-packed contest. The highlight of the match and night had to be Ricochet's insane moonsault from a falling ladder to the floor, which had the crowd on their feet with a huge reaction. All six superstars were highlighted throughout this match in a way that perfectly captured the unique characters in this thrilling start to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The conclusion came when Adam Cole was able to cut off Ricochet's attempt at the title and climb up to become the first-ever NXT North American Champion.
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Cole's night was not done there though. In both the NXT Tag Team Titles match and 2018 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals, Cole replaced the injured Bobby Fish to team with his Undisputed Era compatriot, Kyle O'Reilly. The UE faced The Authors of Pain and the makeshift team of Roderick Strong and Pete Dunne. The latter team had been a thorn in the side of the Undisputed Era for months so no one was expecting the finish here. Just as it looked like they were going to win, Roderick Strong turned his back on Dunne to officially join the Undisputed Era after months of teasing. This turn elevated the UE stable to even bigger heights and stands as one of the most memorable moments in NXT TakeOver history.
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans also saw new champions with the two top singles titles for the men and women. In the blowoff to their bitter feud, Shayna Baszler finally defeated Ember Moon, making the champion submit to her Kinfuda Clutch to become NXT Women's Champion for the first time. Her dominant run at top of the NXT women's division all started here so it has an even bigger significance in hindsight after she became one of the most prolific champions in NXT history. We also saw Aleister Black win the NXT Championship in a blistering contest against Andrade Cien Almas. Black overcame the outside interference of Zelina Vega and ended the reign of Almas with The Black Mass.
Finally, in one of the biggest matches in NXT TakeOver history, the main event saw Johnny Gargano go one-on-one with his former friend, Tommaso Ciampa, in an Unsanctioned Match. The former NXT Tag Team Champions had built a deeply layered rivalry since Ciampa turned his back on Gargano almost one year prior to having ACL surgery. Upon his return to the brand, "The Black Heart" had also cost "The Rebel Heart" the NXT Championship gold as well as his career in the brand prior to NXT TakeOver: New Orleans.
The two men put on a brutal, hard-hitting and emotional battle that received universal praise to end NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. The conclusion saw an amazing callback from their first match at the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. Both men sat in the ring together just like the post-match of their first-round contest. This time, however, Ciampa was trying to lure Gargano in, but Johnny Wrestling was one step ahead, using Ciampa's knee brace to make him tap and earn his career in NXT back.
Both the opener and main event were awarded Wrestling Observer Newsletter five star rated matches. We also witnessed landscape shaping title wins and a shocking heel turn. With that, this is the greatest NXT TakeOver of all time. We will have to wait and see this Saturday if NXT TakeOver XXX can live up to this list, but with another stacked lineup on tap, it definitely has an opportunity to live up the ridiculous quality of NXT TakeOver.
