Top 10 NXT TakeOvers Ever?

[FlaeBlazer]

Pretty simple. NXT TakeOvers have been arguably the most consistently great event in pro wrestling since their inception. I don’t think there has ever been a single one worse than above average. My question...

What is your top 10 TakeOvers (in order)?

[FlaeBlazer]

 

My own list:

1. TakeOver: New Orleans 

2. TakeOver: Chicago I

3. TakeOver: Dallas

4. TakeOver: Brooklyn IV

5. TakeOver: Brooklyn III

6. TakeOver: Chicago II

7. TakeOver: Brooklyn I

8. TakeOver: Philadelphia

9. TakeOver: WarGames

10. TakeOver: R Evolution

[GuerrillaMonsoon]

Aside from the board being against "lists for the sake of lists with no thought behind why" at the best of times, there's been 21 TakeOvers to date, do we really need a poll on what were your favorite half of them?"

[OSJ]

Not to be a curmudgeon, what would be far more interesting than playing listmania would be a discussion of your top three Takeovers and why you found them to be so exceptional. That's how we get to intelligent discourse about the rasslin. For example, I would likely drop any event that ended with Gargano/Ciampa beating the stuffing out of each other out of my top three because I am beyond tired of the feud and can't even go back to rewatch it when it was hotness. It just has no staying power for me. It would be hard for me to not include a show featuring Joe/Balor as those guys kicked it up to the next level every time. If only WWE had written Nak's contract so that he had to wrestle Sami Zayn every time, well, then they would have had something besides bored Japanese surfer dude. 

[Craig H]

I love damn near every Takeover, but two in particular stick out the most and I remember them the most.

First up is Takeover WarGames. It may have been WWE-ized, but holy shit, WE GOT A WAR GAMES MATCH WITH TWO RINGS AND A BIG ASS CAGE! That match is still about the damnedest thing I've seen in an NXT or WWE ring in a long time and I'll take this over TLC matches, endless HiaC matches, and pointless MitB matches. First and foremost, I was never really worried for anyone's safety. Secondly, when risks were taken, they looked like actual risks. WHAT A CONCEPT! Cole went to the top of the cage and when he was there he looked scared shitless enough to have to inchworm his way over to the corner. It made his eventual dive look like even more of a risk even though everyone caught him. Tons of brutality, Killian Dain was the fucking man, Wolfe bled all over, and the right team won. I fucking loved this match and still regularly watch it. It makes this Takeover stand out more than just about any other. Plus, PLUS you had that great match between Dream and Black (SAY! MY! NAME!) and Almas completed one of the best comeback stories in the history of WWE from being a guy who was damn near out of the company to capturing the NXT title. What. A. Fucking. Event.

The other may be an obvious pick, but it's Takeover Dallas. The reason why this one stands out to me and is so memorable is for multiple reasons. Some people may not like it, but I loved the main event between Finn and Joe. Joe bleeds early and bleeds a shit load. Every time the match re-starts after it was stopped each guy just starts throwing bombs against each other. I mean, this got to the point where it felt like they were fighting in rounds. Every round they'd come out and just kill each other. Each stoppage built the tension for the finish even more. Hell, you even had Shane McMahon's kids chanting "BULLSHIT!" and "LET THEM FIGHT!" Fucking awesome. 

Takeover Dallas also gave us Nakamura's best match and maybe Sami's best match in WWE or NXT. You had a fucking amazing tag match between the Revival and American Alpha with Jordan's best hot tag ever and maybe the best meeting between these two teams. Until DIY won the tag titles, this was maybe the greatest tag title victory ever. Plus, Bayley's reign as champion ended as she ran into Asuka.

I'm not listing eight others though. It's more meaningful to just point out what you like the most and why.