Setting the Bar High: Ranking Every Match from the NXT TakeOvers before WrestleMania

As WWE's minor league brand soars in popularity and swells in roster size, NXT has found itself moving out of the tiny arena at Full Sail University and into the same buildings that host things like Monday Night RAW, SmackDown, and some pay-per-view events.

Each and every time that happens, whether it's the Friday or Saturday before that weekend's big main roster event on Sunday, the NXT crew seems to be daring the stars of WWE's red and blue brands to follow what they just did, a trend which started with NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, but which really kicked into gear at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, the same weekend as WrestleMania 32.

Thus far, NXT has only presented two TakeOver events during WrestleMania weekend, with NXT TakeOver: New Orleans becoming the third; today we rank the matches where NXT dared WWE to up their WrestleMania game and tried to become the WrestleMania weekend MVPs.

#10 Austin Aries vs. Baron Corbin

Baron Corbin, on his last night in NXT, clobbers the debuting veteran

Two men made their NXT in-ring debut at NXT TakeOver: Dallas; one man stole the show before he and his opponent even touched, and the other was Austin Aries.

The match wasn't bad, necessarily, and calling it the lowest-ranked match on a WrestleMania weekend TakeOver special is not an attack; however, the match did not come across as anything completely special and the two men failed to really click in a way that made Aries' "underdog" win truly click ("underdog" in quotes because promo packages had painted him as the legendary professional wrestler coming to show up the inexperienced Lone Wolf, who has only ever known WWE).

Two big debuts on the same card, and, unfortunately, this is not the memorable one

Fans who had not followed Aries throughout the independent circuit and during his time in TNA were left baffled at the pomp and circumstance that accompanied his debut; again, the match was not bad, but it was also not befitting the weeks of hype that surrounded A Double's debut in a WWE-owned ring.

#9. Sanity vs. Kassius Ohno, Roderick Strong, Ruby Riott, and Tye Dillinger

NXT's show-opener descends into a fun bit of chaos

As openers go, NXT could have done far worse last year. Sanity had been wreaking their own brand of havoc all over Full Sail University since their debut, and the apocalyptic riffraff faced opposition from two indie standouts, the Perfect 10, and, to even out the eventual Nikki Cross interference, Ruby Riott in her first high-profile WWE-branded match.

It's not a particularly memorable contest, but it started NXT TakeOver: Orlando on a hot note, and didn't suffer under the weight of immeasurable hype like our number ten match did. A standard house show eight-person tag got the crowd hyped, and helped them stay hyped for the rest of the night.

#8 Aleister Black vs. Andrade "Cien" Almas (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

The King of Strikers defends his hard-fought crown

In the second match at NXT TakeOver: Orlando, Aleister Black made his NXT television debut (although he'd had house show matches with the developmental brand as well as a non-tournament match on the WWE UK Championship special under his previous ring name, Tommy End) against newly-heel Andrade "Cien" Almas.

It was a perfectly fine debut, showing why Black earned the nickname "The King of Strikers" on the global independent scene, and let fans get their first glimpse of one of the single greatest entrances in professional wrestling today.

The only knock against this contest is its length; at just under ten minutes, Black and Almas didn't have enough time to really let their story breathe, but that's a problem that will likely be rectified in this weekend's NXT TakeOver: New Orleans NXT Championship match.

#7 Asuka vs. Bayley (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

Bayley tries the same approach that felled the last unstoppable newcomer in her path

Asuka had debuted for NXT the previous fall at its first overseas TakeOver event, and had been on a path of destruction ever since (one which was only temporarily paused due to injury but which has yet to truly stop).

The match tells a story similar to Rocky III, where the plucky underdog who has risen to the ranks of champion squares off against an unorthodox challenger with a take-no-prisoners approach to the sport.

With Bayley superfan Izzy watching through a veil of tears from her ringside seat, Bayley (the character, in a choice expertly played by the performer) struggled to overcome her opponent's power and hard-hitting approach; the champ tried hard to keep up with and return her opponent's forceful offense, but tried too hard to hang on in the end.

It's an image the NXT Universe would have more than enough time to get used to

Trapped in a deadly submission, Bayley refused to quit, and tried to show that she could hang with the Empress of Tomorrow; in the end, the referee thought better of Bayley's choices and called the match, giving Asuka her first WWE gold via technical submission.

#6 The Revival vs. American Alpha (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

Jason Jordan and Chad Gable display their amateur wrestling prowess over WWE's most old-school team

Good Lord, were Chad Gable and Jason Jordon over in late 2015 and early 2016 or what?

Starting the first WrestleMania weekend TakeOver event on a hot note, American Alpha blew the roof off the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center just by walking through the curtain; they'd give the building further structural fits when Jason Jordan would get the hot tag towards the end of one of the grandest reactions of his short career.

The success of this match comes from the story preceding it, as The Revival had dominated NXT's tandem division with the best heel tag team work seen since the demise of Jim Crockett Promotions; the NXT Universe had been itching for months to see them dethroned, and the dictionary definition of white meat babyfaces were the obvious choice to do it.

The city of Dallas nearly had to rebuild the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center after the NXT Universe finally saw this happen

A middle portion that doesn't live up to a hot start and finish can be forgiven because of the explosion that a Grand Amplitude, a three-count, and an American Alpha championship celebration causes in the audience.

#5 Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

Finn Balor refuses to succumb to the Coquina Clutch

There's something to be said for a main event where the two competitors attack each other with such ferocity that the match continually has to be stopped due to a hardway bleed. Finn Balor and Samoa Joe, propelled by their desire not just to put on a memorable WrestleMania weekend performance but also hoping to outdo a stellar undercard, started the match hitting hard and busting up The Destroyer's face very early on.

Like Bayley vs. Nia Jax from the UK TakeOver special, Balor appeared to be the underdog due to the size and unrelenting power of his opponent but, also like that UK special, Balor found a way to pull out the win.

That story would have told a phenomenal match had WWE medical policy not intervened; at times, just as the pair seemed to be building the perfect amount of intensity, ringside medical trainers had to pause the match to treat the wound on Samoa Joe's face. The two men in the ring could not be faulted for their constant breaks in momentum, and even the fans in Dallas pleaded with WWE to allow the match to continue in all its bloody glory, but to no avail.

The only way to slow down Samoa Joe's high-impact

offense

is through WWE's medical policy

Had the match not suffered from the constant start-stop from the medical team, and had it not shared a card with one of the most iconic contests in NXT history (and in WWE this decade), its ranking would be far higher than just number five.

#4 Bobby Roode vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

Bobby Roode works the knee in an attempt to claim the newly redesigned NXT Championship

There were no real surprises in this match, although fans could be forgiven for hoping against hope that Nakamura would extend his stay in developmental and delay his main roster debut by reclaiming his NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: Orlando.

The finish, where Nakamura eventually succumbed to a defending Bobby Roode, set up Nakamura to join SmackDown Live in the blue brand's fallout show, and the half hour clash relied more on solid technique than the oohs and ahhs that defined Nakamura's NXT debut the previous year.

The biggest shock to fans, though, was that Nakamura's knee injury in the story of the match was a work; Swagsuke sold the leg injury perfectly, and a pair of near-falls from a Glorious DDT and a spinebuster near the end popped WWE's smarkiest crowd like no other.

Shades of Arn Anderson on display as Roode hits one of the best

spinebusters

in the business

Roode played the heel to perfection, and feigned the use of the ring bell to terminate Nakamura; The King of Strong Style wasn't fazed, and Roode had to employ the most glorious of Glorious DDTs to stay on top of WWE's minor leagues.

#3 Asuka vs. Ember Moon (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

Asuka gets tossed by NXT's only woman capable of hitting as hard as she can (at the time, at least)

One big question preceded this match, that of whether NXT's longest-reigning champion of any kind would eat her first loss, and one big question followed: had that champion fully turned heel?

Asuka had always been a terrifying presence, and had only leaned toward the heel side of the kayfabe karma spectrum because, much like Neville before her, she was just too talented to be defeated. She was a heel simply because fans were desperate to see someone finally rise to her level and take the win, and the Universe's dismay simply came from another challenger falling short.

At NXT TakeOver: Orlando, however, The Empress of Tomorrow had finally seemed to meet her match in the lupine Ember Moon, and Moon seemed poised to put the NXT Women's Championship on a new waist for the first time in a year.

With Ember Moon perched atop the turnbuckle to wow the crowd and stun her foe with her patented Eclipse, Asuka pushed the referee into the ropes, toppling Moon from the top rope and opening her up for a strong-style strike for an Asuka win.

Asuka would still never settle on a heel or face side, and still hasn't, but her underhanded win buoyed support for Ember to the moon.

#2 The Authors of Pain vs. Team #DIY vs. The Revival (NXT TakeOver: Orlando)

The #DIY-

val

(or Team Re-I-Y?) hits tandem superkicks

WWE is a babyface territory, but Paul "Triple H" Levesque, who gave NXT its life and identity, grew up obsessed with Ric Flair and his work in the National Wrestling Alliance; Levesque's love of the NWA shines brightest in the fact that his developmental league is, more often than not, a heel territory.

The Authors of Pain, like The Ascension before them, were WWE's mysterious team of monsters running roughshod over the tag division; they took the championships from Team #DIY at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio the weekend of the Royal Rumble, then faced their first high profile defense in Orlando, against the former champions and the men who used to be the most feared team in NXT, The Revival.

Akam and Rezar destroy their only remaining

challengers

The match hit peak insanity when The Revival and Team #DIY mixed-and-matched to deliver each team's signature maneuvers to their enormous armored foes, but Akam and Rezar shook off the tandem attacks to eliminate first Gargano and Ciampa, then The Revival (who, in one of the strangest but most enjoyable twists of early 2017, were working clear babyfaces for the first time in NXT) to continue their ownership of NXT tag team glory.

#1 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: Dallas)

Sami Zayn brings Dallas to its feet by taking Shinsuke Nakamura off of his

In the epilogue to the standout WWE Network series Breaking Ground, which focused on the up-and-coming stars of WWE's developmental system, Triple H is shown backstage marveling over the reaction the Dallas crowd gives newcomer Shinsuke Nakamura before his match even begins; the COO and NXT creator marvels that Nakamura earns a chant Sportskeeda cannot publish just from his entrance, and says that's got to be a great sign for the rest of the night.

The story of this match is the debuting Japanese phenom taking on a departing NXT mainstay whom many had seen as synonymous with the yellow brand; a perfect video package narrated by Mauro Ranollo took viewers through the career of Zayn and the worldwide mystique of Nakamura, and the crowd is absolutely lit from the moment Zayn skanks through the curtain.

The match is a brutal affair where The King of Strong Style gives many American viewers their first taste of the hard strikes and spaghetti noodle flexibility with which Nakamura made his name in Japan; an epic showdown where Zayn and Nakamura trade forearms for several minutes draws a standing ovation, and the tornado DDT through the ropes that made WWE's favorite ska fan an NXT star fails magnificently as Nakamura blocks it with a hard kick to the face.

Counters to signature moves don't get much better than this

Every element of the match, from the crowd's excitement, to the entrances, to a masterful story centered around a mysterious newcomer taking over from the established face of NXT, is executed to near perfection; it's a shame that Balor and Samoa Joe had to follow this, and that nothing on the WrestleMania 32 card managed to approach this match's intensity (although another Zayn match, the Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship, came the closest).

Nakamura and Zayn owned WrestleMania weekend that year, and dared both NXT and WWE's rosters to catch up.