10 greatest NXT TakeOver classics of all time
When fans talk about the best wrestling major events of the year, NXT TakeOver is usually brought up. Since the first event back in 2014, it has been the platform that has blown off the biggest feuds and presented the most exciting dream matches in NXT. The quarterly specials for the black-and-gold brand have cultivated a reputation for being the stage for the very best that WWE has to offer.
NXT TakeOver started at Full Sail University before it ventured out into major arenas starting at TakeOver: Brooklyn in 2015. It has gone to London, and it has also been hosted by multiple cities in the United States. With the introduction of NXT UK, this brand has even had three specials of its own events in Blackpool and Cardiff.
With NXT TakeOver 36 on the horizon, there have been 38 different events between the North American side and the UK brand. In this article, let's take a look back at the ten greatest NXT TakeOver classics of all time.
#10 Finn Balor vs. Kyle O'Reilly for the NXT Championship (NXT TakeOver 31)
Finn Balor's return to NXT came full circle when he defeated Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship on the September 8th, 2020 Super Tuesday II special. He found his first challenger for his second reign with the top prize in Kyle O'Reilly. The Undisputed Era member broke through and won a gauntlet to become the number one contender for the gold at TakeOver 31.
The bout proved to be a true fight that presented a level of realism not regularly seen in WWE matches. Balor came in with a gameplan, as he targeted the challenger's ribs, while O'Reilly focused on the champion's shoulder. The work Balor did on O'Reilly's midsection was effective, and it would come back to haunt him at various times in this contest.
The two men traded submissions fabulously, with Balor blocking a kneebar and locking in a sharpshooter and O'Reilly blocking the 1916 into a guillotine choke. KOR caught Balor flush on the chin, and he even broke the champion's jaw mid-way through the main event. The technical wrestling and stiff strikes showed how badly both men wanted to walk out with the NXT Championship.
Balor eventually overwhelmed O'Reilly with a standing double stomp and followed up with the Coup De Grace for the victory. This was an incredible NXT Championship Match that was among the best of the year in WWE. Finn Balor showed the type of wrestling that he came back to NXT for, while Kyle O'Reilly proved himself as a main eventer and future champion.