3. Asuka vs. Ember Moon
I initially debated ranking Ember Moon vs. Asuka behind DIY vs. The Revival, simply because of how breathtakingly brilliant their tag matches were. But what helped make DIY’s story so incredible was the fact that you always sensed Ciampa would turn on Gargano, feeling that he’s the weak link, so their shine will come later.
Meanwhile, Ember Moon and Asuka put together a slow-burning, heart-breaking story of an incredibly talented wrestler who brought her “A” game, but even that wasn’t enough to defeat the undefeatable.
Moon and Asuka first fought for the title at a big venue in 2017 at the NXT Download festival, but this was after about a year of Moon relentlessly pursuing Asuka’s title as her top challenger. The real fight was to occur at WWE NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, with the fans expecting Asuka to drop the title on her way to the main roster.
To many, Moon seemed like the perfect person to defeat Asuka. She had her own mystique as a War Goddess with werewolf vibes and piercing, red eyes, in addition to the most deadly finishing maneuver in WWE in “The Eclipse”. It is a move that is as difficult to deliver as it is punishing and awe-inspiring.
In the build-up to TakeOver: Brooklyn III, Asuka was almost dismissive of her challenger, even sarcastically asking if Moon actually works at NXT. Insulted, Moon was determined to not only take the title off of Asuka, but prove that she deserved the Empress of Tomorrow’s respect.
But nobody is ready for Asuka. Nobody. In what might have been the greatest women’s match in WWE history, though I’m too much of a Sasha/Bayley mark to really give an honest answer here, Asuka and Ember weaved one of wrestling’s best stories that year. In minutes, they put both wrestlers over, despite the fact that Asuka remained undefeated.
Moon took Asuka to a limit that no other wrestler has. Even Charlotte Flair’s win over Asuka at WrestleMania 34 didn’t feel as impactful as Moon’s loss at TakeOver: Brooklyn III, and that has everything to do with the story these two women told on that night. To this day, I still cannot believe that Asuka kicked out of The Eclipse. That was one of the greatest near-falls NXT has ever given us.
The respect Moon gained from Asuka is obvious. There was a special moment between the two when Asuka relinquished the title due to an injury, en route to a main roster debut later that year. And when Moon won the title near her hometown at NXT TakeOver: WarGames, it was Asuka who respectfully handed the title to the “Shenom” of NXT.