The 10 Greatest NXT Takeovers of All Time

#5 Takeover: War Games (Nov. 18, 2017, Toyota Center, crowd of 14,000+)

The originally-planned Takeover: Houston was taken three notches higher when WWE COO Triple H decided to bring back the old WCW gang-fight match concept known as War Games.

While some old-school fans feel that the NXT iteration of the match, featuring the Undisputed Era, Sanity and Authors of Pain along with Roderick Strong in a 9-man triangle format, didn't embody the true spirit of War Games by taking the roof off the cage for aerial dives and focusing on highspots more than gang fighting, the match nevertheless succeeded in bringing some old-school flavor into a modern brand and at nearly an hour long, the War Games main event was by itself an enjoyable car wreck of ruthless punishment.

The phenomenal undercard matchup between Aleister Black and Velveteen Dream was also glaring proof that NXT bookers know how to create compelling characters and storylines, and the heartwarming moment of Asuka crowning her real-life friend Ember Moon with the NXT Women's Championship made for excellent

TV, along with Andrade "Cien" Almas' surprising and well-deserved NXT Title victory over Drew McIntyre.

Rating: 8.5/10