10 Greatest NXT Matches of 2019 so far
NXT is WWE's best in-ring brand by far. They consistently outperform WWE's Superstars on the main roster (with the possible exception of 205 Live). There have been three NXT TakeOver events so far, and all of them have been exceptional wrestling events that stole the show.
NXT TakeOver: Phoenix, NXT TakeOver: New York, and NXT TakeOver: XXV were all extraordinary events that were a blessing to all wrestling fans.
There were excellent matches for all the titles in the Yellow and Black brand.
Superstars such as Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Ricochet, Shayna Baszler, Io Shirai, the War Raiders, Aleister Black, Pete Dunne, the Velveteen Dream, and Matt Riddle all competed in some of the best matches in all of WWE
Some honorable mentions for this spot include the War Raiders vs Undisputed Era at NXT Takeover: Phoenix, Shayna Baszler vs Bianca Belair at NXT Takeover: Phoenix, Tommaso Ciampa vs Aleister Black at NXT Takeover: Phoenix, #DIY vs the Undisputed Era on an episode of NXT, Adam Cole vs Aleister Black vs Johnny Gargano vs Matt Riddle vs Ricochet on an episode of NXT, and Shayna Baszler vs Bianca Belair vs Kairi Sane vs Io Shirai at NXT Takeover: New York.
#10 NXT Women's Championship: Shayna Baszler (c.) vs. Io Shirai (NXT TakeOver: XXV)
This match was arguably Shayna Baszler's best singles match to date in NXT. Io Shirai and Shayna Baszler had a great feud that made you want to see Io Shirai dethrone Shayna Baszler to become NXT Women's Champion. This match was a reflection of that. Io Shirai did everything that she could do to win this match.
After more than a year at the top of the NXT women's division, Shayna Baszler felt this would be nothing more than another simple title defense. It was extremely satisfying to see Io Shirai prove her wrong. The aggression, drive, and high-flying skills of Io Shirai added a lot to this match. It was nice to see that this match did not excessively rely on interference from Candice LeRae, Marina Shafir, and Jessamyn Duke as it could have quickly taken away from the match.
The finishing sequence of the match was specifically excellent with Shayna Baszler countering a series of roll-ups into the Kirafuda Clutch. Io Shirai showed a lot of spirit and heart when trying to get out of the submission in what might have been the best match of her WWE career so far. Her attack at the end of the match was also an excellent way to tease her heel turn (which happened a few weeks later).