NXT Match of the Year
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Nominees:
Finn Balor vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TV, July 13, 2016)Asuka vs. Mickie James (NXT Takeover: Toronto)American Alpha vs. The Revival (NXT Takeover: The End)Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT Takeover: Dallas)Bayley vs. Asuka (NXT Takeover: Dallas)Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT TV, February 17, 2016)Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (Steel Cage Match, NXT Takeover: The End)#DIY vs. The Revival (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT Takeover: Toronto)Bayley vs. Nia Jax (NXT TV, July 20, 2016)Tye Dillinger vs. Bobby Roode (NXT Takeover: Toronto)Finn Balor vs. Neville (NXT TV, March 2, 2016)Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe (NXT Takeover: Toronto)American Alpha vs. The Revival (2-out-of-3 Falls Match, NXT TV, July 6, 2016)
A top AEW star just called one of his colleagues 'spoiled' and 'narcissistic' HERE.
The nominee list is a testament to how good the in-ring product was in NXT during 2016. I agree with the list, outside of some glaring omissions that I feel deserved to make the list. American Alpha vs. The Revival at NXT Takeover: Dallas and Bayley vs. Asuka at the same event were both stellar and deserved to be in this group, but it was not to be.
Out of what is on the list, two matches stick out to me above all the others.
Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura was about as perfect of a professional wrestling match as you could have, given the story coming in. Sami Zayn had been the face of NXT since 2013. He had lost his bid to become the first ever two-time NXT Champion and was now taking on NXT’s hot new free agent signing in Shinsuke Nakamura.
The match has to be seen to be believed, and it was the perfect introduction to NXT for Nakamura, as well as the perfect farewell for Sami Zayn.
The Revival vs. #DIY bout from Takeover: Toronto was the best tag-team wrestling match I’ve ever seen in my life. There were several call-backs to their previous matches, they built the drama well by #DIY going down 1-0 early and then clawing back to tie it up and ultimately pick up the win.
The crowd was into this match from the beginning, and you could see genuine emotion on the faces of the fans, as well as on the faces of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa when they finally won.
As long as the winner is one of those two matches, I don’t think a wrong choice has been made. I rated both as five-star matches, and I honestly can’t decide which one I like better. I think the tag team match will win, just because it was more recent and was WWE.com’s 2016 Match of the Year.
Should win: Nakamura vs Zayn OR The Revival vs. #DIYWill win: The Revival vs. #DIY
