WWE NXT: Ranking the Top 10 Women’s Title Matches of All-Time

8. Asuka vs. Bayley (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II)

After a solid but somewhat disjointed match in Dallas, Asuka had dethroned Bayley as the NXT Women’s Champion and after defending the title against Nia Jax, was now ready for the inevitable rematch. As was shown by that first bout’s weak points, this wasn’t the easiest match to handle without simply turning Asuka heel and considering that wasn’t yet the direction, the NXT brass were relatively limited in their potential approach. For this rematch though, they found the correct path and in-ring that showed as these two NXT centrepieces put together a very strong title match.

After waiting quite some time for her shot at redemption, Bayley was desperate to end the streak and it translated to a refreshing defiance both on the mic and in the ring. Bayley was able to represent her respect and hesitation early before firing up and fighting back with real aggression. She simply refused to wilt and pulled out all the stops but just couldn’t put the champion away. This in turn put Asuka’s dominance over even more as overcoming the valiant Bayley was a key moment to building her NXT title reign. The story told here simply couldn’t have been more perfect.

This match is even more memorable considering that it was the last of Bayley’s NXT career. Whilst her main roster run has been inconsistent to say the least, Bayley really was incredibly important in helping NXT’s growth and if nothing else, that’s a very respectable legacy to have. This was a fitting final chapter to her story there too as she went out fighting before bidding farewell to the NXT Brooklyn crowd that even included her fellow Horsewomen. The end of a special era, this was an excellent title match and one that upon re-watch, probably deserves more love.