NXT Takeover has become an event with more consistently great match quality than virtually any other wrestling show. Since the first Takeover in 2014, the event has continued to grow and is now the best showcase of talent available in WWE.
Takeover started as a way to culminate NXT storylines with an event. The events took place at Full Sail University, just the same as the weekly NXT show. However, on August 22nd, 2015 Takeover made its first appearance outside of Florida. NXT Takeover: Brooklyn took place from the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York and started the pattern of Takeover events taking place in the same city as “Big Four” pay per views.
Following the event Takeover shows still occasionally took place at Full Sail but switched to their current role of exclusively taking place the night before pay per views not long after. Takeover built a legacy for itself with consistently great matches and still to this day there has yet to be a truly bad Takeover.
Some of the best WWE matches of all time have taken place at Takeover events and it could be argued that the very best of those matches have taken place in 2018. In this list we will break down every single match to take place at Takeover in 2018. The rankings will be based on the star ratings assigned by Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter so if you disagree with any of the rankings you can leave a comment below detailing what fools we are.
With that out of the way let’s dive in.
25. Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno – NXT Takeover: War Games (2018)
Star Rating: N/A
This match went six seconds and Riddle got the win with a knee. They will have better matches in the future believe me.
24. Shayna Baszler vs. Nikki Cross – NXT Takeover: Chicago II
Star Rating: 2.25 stars
Shayna Baszler has great potential and has done a marvelous job for her experience level. However, if you want to ensure she has a better match than this then it would probably be a good idea to put her in the ring with more experience than Nikki Cross.
The match wasn’t bad by any means but the story of Cross not being afraid of Baszler and seeming at peace while being choked out just didn’t register with the live crowd. Something had to be at the bottom and this is it.
23. Velveteen Dream vs. Kassius Ohno – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Star Rating: 2.75 stars
Like Shayna Baszler, Velveteen Dream has shown far more talent than his level of experience should allow. However, he is still inexperienced and can be a bit sloppy from time to time as was seen here.
The match was sloppy and Dream botched his twisting DDT and his rolling Death Valley Driver. They were able to get out of it with Dream hitting his Purple Rainmaker elbow drop from the ringpost to close it out. Thankfully the NXT fans are solidly behind Velveteen Dream and did not turn on him as they would many others.
22. Velveteen Dream vs. EC3 – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Star Rating: 2.75 stars
This one is a little more tricky. Velveteen Dream has shown that he can have fantastic matches if he is working with a great worker. This match, however, exposed EC3 as being not quite at the level of NXT‘s best.
The crowd went silent when the two mistimed a whip into the corner and it was clearly enough to take them out of the match. The Velveteen Dream was able to win the match with his Purple Rainmaker but this was an eye-opener of a match that these two are best left apart in the future.
21. Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Star Rating: 2.75 stars
This would have been as good a time as any for Baszler to win the NXT Women’s Championship but instead Ember Moon retained the title with a roll-up. This was Moon’s first Takeover title defence since winning the title at War Games in November. She was already looked at as a weak champion, considering she was never able to beat Asuka for the title and could only win it once Asuka vacated it willingly.
So when Shayna Baszler challenged Moon for the title at Takeover it was puzzling. Baszler was undefeated in NXT and was clearly set up to win the title, making her an odd choice for Moon’s first defence. In the end, Baszler ravaged Moon’s arm and seemed to have the match won when she locked in an armbar. Moon then stayed in the hold for minutes before stacking Baszler up and getting a fluke three-count. This match derailed some of Baszler’s momentum at the time and didn’t make Moon look like a strong champion either. Which makes the next entry even more bizarre…
20. Ember Moon vs. Shayna Baszler – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Star Rating: 3.25 stars
At least this was a better match than their last one. Baszler choked out Moon to win her first NXT Women’s Championship, which just leads me to ask why this couldn’t have happened in their last match.
Baszler had a couple of really cool moments in this match, including when she popped her own shoulder back in using the ring-post and using her own hair to choke out Moon. The moments may not have come across great live but they got Baszler to look even more like a badass. Moon would debut on Raw just days later but this match put a stamp on her lacklustre title run in NXT.
19. Aleister Black vs. Lars Sullivan – NXT Takeover: Chicago II
Star Rating: 3.25 stars
Lars Sullivan’s rise to prominence in NXT had its bright point and its mediocre points. His match with Black was a fine battle of a technical master vs. a caveman trying to see who would hit a knockout shot first.
The action was fine while being below the level of most NXT Championship matches. The match does lose points, however due to the botched Black Mass near the finish where Black missed the move by a mile and Sullivan still sold it. This lead to loud booing from the normally-forgiving NXT fans and Black won with a proper Black Mass shortly after.
18. Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong & Pete Dunne vs. Authors of Pain – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Star Rating: 3.25 stars
No one remembers this match for the action. This match is only remembered for being the moment that Roderick Strong turned on Pete Dunne and joined the Undisputed Era. That is not to say that the match was bad but it has been completely overshadowed by its finish and post-match segment.
It is also easy to forget that this was the finals of the third Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. The tournament was not a classic and it was won by a team that did not even compete in the tournament. Oh well. Adam Cole was competing in his second match of the night and was fighting to keep the tag team titles for the Undisputed Era. With Strong turning heel at the end of the match and joining Undisputed Era, it allowed Strong to defend the titles going forward. Good match but watch the last two minutes for the important bits.
17. Undisputed Era vs. Authors of Pain – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Star Rating: 3.5 stars
A perfectly fine opening match for the NXT Tag Team Championships. The Undisputed Era had only won the tag titles from Sanity a few weeks prior to this match and had little difficulty escaping with their gold.
The Authors of Pain were playing the roles of babyface giants squashing the annoying heels. They were slightly miscast in this role as their true success came as big monster heels and one of them selling a knee injury wasn’t the strongest it could have been. In the end the Undisputed Era won a good match but would have much better tag matches waiting for them down the road.
16. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Star Rating: 3.5 stars
In a rematch of the inaugural Mae Young Classic finals, Kairi Sane defeated Shayna Baszler to win the NXT Women’s Championship. This was a very solid match that featured everyone’s favorite escape-from-a-chokehold finish, Sane flipping backwards to rollup Baszler for the pin while stuck in a rear-naked choke.
This finish has been done in more matches than I can count over the last few years but it is a good finish and the people were very happy when Sane won. This finish was able to leave the fans ready for more action as the two women had several more matches coming down the line.
15. Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler – NXT Takeover: War Games (2018)
Star Rating: 3.75 stars
In the time since their last Takeover match, Baszler had beaten Sane to regain the NXT Women’s Championship at WWE‘s all-women pay per view Evolution. Baszler was able to choke out Kairi Sane at Evolution thanks to interference from her friend Jessamyn Duke, which set the stage for their Best-of-Three-Falls match at Takeover: War Games.
If given more time this would likely have been the best match of their rivalry and it still may have been. However, this match felt very rushed as the two women had to speed through three falls in just under eleven minutes. The action was good and there was interference from Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir as well as Dakota Kai and Io Shirai. Shirai delivered a picture-perfect moonsault onto the other girls before Baszler was able to roll up Kairi Sane and retain her championship. This was a really good match that would probably have benefited from more time or not having the stipulations.
14. Undisputed Era vs. Ricochet, Pete Dunne & the War Raiders – NXT Takeover: War Games (2018)
Star Rating: 4.25 stars
NXT‘s second War Games match pitted Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong against Ricochet, Pete Dunne, Ray Rowe, and Hanson and featured 47 minutes of back and forth action. This match peaked when Ricochet performed his double moonsault off the top of the cage and unfortunately just kept going for a little too long.
This War Games match’s format was closer to the traditional War Games matches than 2017’s version but still did not quite capture the essence of what made the old War Games matches truly great. War Games in WCW could only be won by submission and thus is was a great dishonor to be the one to quit on behalf of your team. You didn’t go into War Games to do flips and cool spots, you went into War Games to try and destroy the other team. While this match had some great visuals of the two teams squaring off, NXT is still waiting to hit the sweet spot with their War Games matches.
13. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas vs. Aleister Black – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Star Rating: 4.25 stars
This match would stand out far more if it was on almost any other Takeover event. Aleister Black and Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas had a very good match together that just happened to be sandwiched between two of the best matches in WWE history.
Black and Almas traded blows throughout their match with technical precision. All things came to a head when Zelina Vega attempted to crossbody Aleister Black but instead ended up in the arms of Almas. Almas was defenceless as Black then hit Black Mass to win the NXT Championship. Again, this was a very good match that everyone should go out of their way to see but it just had too much competition on this night to truly stand out.
12. Ricochet vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover: Chicago II
Star Rating: 4.25 stars
Ricochet’s first singles match at a Takeover event did not disappoint as he defeated the Velveteen Dream. Ricochet is known all over the world for his high-flying ability and the Velveteen Dream made the mistake of trying to match Ricochet move for move in their match.
Ricochet and the Velveteen Dream had good chemistry in their match and went with the story of the Velveteen Dream wanting Ricochet’s spotlight. The Dream tried to show that he could hang with Ricochet and perform just as many spectacular moves as his opponent. Spoiler alert: he couldn’t. Ricochet proved to be just too talented for the Dream to keep up with and managed to win the match and continue his roll in NXT.
11. Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Star Rating: 4.25 stars
Aleister Black and Adam Cole took part in an Extreme Rules match in the home of ECW, Philadelphia. The two used a great deal of plunder in their match and a great number of people interfered as well.
Black and Cole had a great Extreme Rules match and delivered one of the scariest spots seen in a WWE match in a long time. The two men were doing battle in the ring as two folding chairs were set up front-to-front. As Cole got control he turned the chairs to face back-to-back. Black was then able to lift Cole up and hit a Death Valley Driver on the point of the two chairs. The horrifying move caused the Phillie crowd to chant “You Deserve It” in the first ironic usage of the chant. Sanity and the rest of Undisputed Era ran in to cause havoc before Black was able to hit Black Mass for the win.
10. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
The Gargano vs. Ciampa rivalry will go down as one of the great storylines in NXT history. After months of matches and pent up hatred, Gargano and Ciampa faced each other once again in a Last Man Standing match with the NXT Championship on the line.
Ciampa had won the NXT Championship from Aleister Black on NXT TV due to the accidental help of Johnny Gargano. Now, Gargano had the chance to defend his nemesis once and for all and win the NXT Championship in the process. This match continued to tell the story of Gargano’s descent into hatred as he continued to act more villainous due to his blinding hatred for Tommaso Ciampa. The match finally culminated with Gargano having to match a choice of whether to hit Ciampa with a running knee on the stage or not. In the end he gave in to the darkness and charged at Ciampa, knocking Ciampa nearly unconscious but throwing himself off the stage as well. As the referee counted Ciampa was able to get his feet under him while Gargano was unable to rise to his feet.
Ciampa and Gargano’s match here was another perfectly performed chapter in their ongoing story and will almost certainly not be the last time the two meet.
9. Undisputed Era vs. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan – NXT Takeover: Chicago II
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
The only thing wrong with this match was that the crowd did not get behind Burch & Lorcan who were meant to be the babyfaces. This is the risk you take when you put a relatively unknown tag team up against your most popular heel tag team.
With the crowd reactions aside, this match was phenomenal. Burch and Lorcan showed why they are an underrated team in such a deep NXT roster with their performance in this match. While not many people expected them to win this match, Burch and Lorcan put on the performance of their careers. The same could be said of Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly as well. Strong and O’Reilly together put on many great tag matches in 2018 and this was one of their best. The Undisputed Era managed to hit Total Elimination on Oney Lorcan to retain their titles but the challengers won the respect of the fans that night.
8. Ricochet vs. Adam Cole – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Exactly.
7. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT Takeover: Chicago II
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
The second match of their 2018 trilogy. Gargano and Ciampa had a Chicago Street Fight this time and they focused on a more brutal and vicious story than the one told in New Orleans.
Preceeded by Gargano’s wife Candace LeRae giving him a crutch and telling him to “kick Ciampa’s ass”, this one was gonna be a fight. Gargano and Ciampa fought not to win but to inflict pain on one another. The match was crazy and Gargano was on his way to embracing the dark side near the end of this match. Gargano had Ciampa handcuffed and was beating him relentlessly. Gargano finally locked on the Gargano Escape and Ciampa submitted but the referee had been bumped at the time. Officials came out to attempt to pull Gargano away from Ciampa but Gargano couldn’t let matters be and Ciampa hooked him for a draping DDT on the exposed wood of the ring. Ciampa pinned Gargano and Gargano had to accept the fact that he lost because he had to keep going back for more.
A stellar match with great storytelling. The only gripe I have about the match is that the finish seemed a bit poor as Gargano had Ciampa beat several times and as soon as Ciampa hits one move on Gargano the referee is back to life and ready to count. That’s wrestling I suppose.
6. Undisputed Era vs. Moustache Mountain – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4
Star Rating: 4.5 stars
Oh my word, what a tag team match. This was one of the very bast tag team matches of the year and would likely be remembered more vividly if the two teams had not had an even better match on NXT TV just weeks earlier.
The two teams were beloved and put on one of the best opening matches of the year. The drama was there from the beginning as Trent Seven and Tyler Bate had already won and lost the tag titles to Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong during the summer. They had lost the titles by Bate throwing in the towel to save his partner from being injured in perhaps the best WWE tag team match ever. So when Bate grabbed the towel in this match everyone knew what it meant. Bate did not throw in the towel this time and the two teams traded nearfalls before Undisputed Era hit Total Elimination on Seven to win the match and retain the titles.
An excellent match and one of the best of the year. Unfortunately for this match, there was a lot of competition in 2018.
5. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream – NXT Takeover: War Games (2018)
Star Rating: 4.75 stars
The fans in attendance that night wanted nothing more than for the Velveteen Dream to beat Tommaso Ciampa and win the NXT Championship. While that might not have gone the way they wanted, they were still treated to the best match of the Dream’s young career.
Dream emerged dressed in Hollywood Hulk Hogan’s gear and proceeded to have a better match than Hulk Hogan ever had in the black and white. Tommaso Ciampa continued to be the most detestable wrestler on the planet and Velveteen Dream was the crowd’s hope to beat him. Dream appeared to be close to winning the match as he hit the Purple Rainmaker and got a nearfall. Dream’s inexperience got the best of him as he attempted to deliver an elbow drop while Ciampa was on the apron but crashed and burned to the floor. Ciampa was then able to hit a draping DDT on the partition between the two rings to get the win.
This match should show just how much potential the Velveteen Dream has and how much the NXT fans hate Tommaso Ciampa. Unbelievably great.
4. Johnny Gargano vs. Aleister Black – NXT Takeover: War Games (2018)
Star Rating: 4.75 stars
While Ciampa vs. Dream was focused on two men’s fight over a prize, this match was about revenge. The conflicting beliefs of Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black made this match so much more compelling.
Johnny Gargano believes that he is the hero of his story. He believes that the ends justify the means if it means taking down Tommaso Ciampa. That’s why he had no problem attacking Aleister Black in the NXT parking lot as it meant his title match with Tommaso Ciampa became a one-on-one match. Aleister Black on the other hand, sees Gargano as a coward who attacked him. So when the two met at Takeover: War Games they were able to tell the story of one wrestler who was lost and wanted to prove he was not afraid of the other and another wrestler who was out for revenge.
The story was awesome and the wrestling met the same standard. Both men continued to dare the other to hit them with the other’s best shot and in the end it was Black who hit two Black Masses to keep Gargano down for the count. Fantastic storytelling and one of the best matches you will find all year.
3. Adam Cole vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Ricochet vs. EC3 vs. Lars Sullivan vs. Killian Dain – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Star Rating: 5 stars
This is the best Ladder match in history and the best opening match in history. Prove me wrong.
This is as close to a perfect Ladder match as you can get. Everyone had a distinct motivation in this match in addition to becoming the first NXT North American Champion. Velveteen Dream wanted the biggest spotlight possible, Ricochet wanted to amaze people in his debut, Sullivan and Dain wanted to ravage each other, EC3 wanted to show he was better than his opponents, and Cole wanted to win while taking the least amount of punishment possible because he still had to compete in another match that night.
This entry could just be going through the match move for move but that would not do justice to this match. Needless to say everyone got their chances to shine in this match and everyone came away looking better having been a part of it.
2. Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa – NXT Takeover: New Orleans
Star Rating: 5 stars
Ciampa and Gargano’s first match was also their best match. The reasoning being that this was initially meant to be the end of their rivalry before extending their story further.
Ciampa was the reason behind the downward spiral of Gargano’s career from the breakup of #DIY to Gargano being forced into retirement. Now Ciampa was the only one standing in the way of Johnny Gargano returning to NXT. Their Unsanctioned match was the blowoff of their initial rivalry and thus had a more complete ending to it. The match was able to tell a complete story without having to leave anything out to build to future matches.
The two fought and tried to break one another and finally Gargano did not want to hit Ciampa when he has the match won. They sat cross-legged next to each other and Ciampa took a swing at Gargano but Gargano rolled through and wrapped Ciampa’s knee brace around Ciampa’s face to tap him out and earn his return to NXT. What a great story this was. It was so great that they decided to just keep the rivalry going for the rest of the year.
1. Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT Takeover: Philadelphia
Star Rating: 5 stars
The first WWE match to receive a five star rating since CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 and the best match in all of WWE in 2018.
Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas and Johnny Gargano had an uphill climb in this match as people were behind Johnny Gargano and against Almas but not as much as they would be months later. Gargano became a true superstar in this match as the valiant babyface willing to go through anything to win the NXT Championship. Almas and Zelina Vega also truly came into their own as a dastardly pair who would cheat to win in this match. All of this combined with the best in-ring work of any WWE match all year to form this perfect concoction of wrestling.
One can only imagine the ovation Gargano would have gotten in Phillie if he had won the match that night but in some ways it is better that he didn’t. Johnny Gargano is not the type of hero that succeeds the first time. The longer storyline is the one that will make Gargano eventually raising the NXT Championship all the sweeter for the fans.
2018 had a high standard to meet for the best match of the year and no match was able to quite match the level of Almas vs. Gargano.
What do you think of our list? What is your favorite NXT Takeover match from 2018? Let us know in the comments below, on Twitter or on Discord!
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