WWE: Ranking the Top 25 NXT TakeOver matches of all time

4. NXT Championship Match: Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Adam Cole (NXT TakeOver: XXV, Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT, 6/1/19)

At NXT TakeOver: New York, Johnny Gargano finally captured the NXT Championship by defeating Adam Cole in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match. Just a few short months later, he found himself up against Cole once again in a rematch at NXT TakeOver: XXV.

While their clash in New York was spectacular, this is the superior match in my eyes. Johnny Wrestling proved himself to be Johnny TakeOver once again, delivering an instant classic against Adam Cole in the main event of 25th NXT TakeOver in history.

3. Chicago Street Fight: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Chicago II, Allstate Arena, 6/16/18)

We’ve seen Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano square off many times. We’ll see it again soon, perhaps for the last time. However, this is the undeniable highlight to me. For as great as their Unsanctioned Match was, this one is even better.

For over 35 minutes in the main event of NXT TakeOver: Chicago II, Ciampa and Gargano tore into each other in the most brutal and violent ways they could imagine. It was a masterpiece of chaos that saw one of my favorite endings in NXT TakeOver history.

2. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sami Zayn (NXT TakeOver: Dallas, Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 4/1/16)

The runner-up for greatest NXT TakeOver match of all time is, honestly, the only time we’ve ever really seen The King of Strong Style in WWE or NXT. While Shinsuke Nakamura has continued to compete in the four years since this night, he’s become a shell of what he once was, largely due to WWE’s inability to understand and utilize him.

However, before all of those mistakes happen, there was this masterpiece. This was, quite literally, the first time these two men ever met inside the squared circle. They didn’t even spar in training to understand each other. It was entirely organic, and became one of the best matches of Sami Zayn’s career, and easily Shinsuke Nakamura’s best moment outside of NJPW.

1. NXT Women’s Championship Match: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Bayley (NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, Barclays Center, 8/22/15)

I mean, was there any other option? You can argue all you want that other matches had strengths in different ways, went longer, or did certain specific things better than this one, but there’s no better match as a whole in NXT TakeOver history. I still feel bad for Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, who had to follow this with a ladder match in the main event of the inaugural NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn.

“The Boss” walked in as the reigning NXT Women’s Champion, and the crowd was primed and ready to see the beloved Bayley finally capture the title. For 18 minutes and 22 seconds, there was no way to tear your eyes away from the screen.

Moment after moment was etched into stone as these two women crafted a masterclass in storytelling, leading to what is still probably one of the loudest post-match crowd reactions in NXT history. If you haven’t seen this match, you need to watch it right now. If you’ve seen it before, you need to find time to watch it again.