This is NXT SE: The Top 10 Matches of 2015

2015 was a watershed year for NXT, a year where it went from “that cool thing on WWE Network” to “arguably *the* reason to have the WWE Network”. It was the year that NXT made it’s way out of the Florida area, selling out shows throughout the U.S. and culminating in a highly successful tour of the United Kingdom. It drew 5000+ on WrestleMania weekend and 13,000+ the night before SummerSlam for it’s biggest show to date. It was the year NXT established itself as the true alternative brand longtime fans had been wanting for years as they successfully blended WWE’s high production values with strong, well developed characters, great action and the feeling of watching something new and fresh that you could really get behind.

Cutting this list to 10 was actually pretty hard as I could easily have stretched this list to a top 20 or more. So here are the Best of the Rest, some additional matches (in no particular order) that didn’t make the cut but I really enjoyed:

Bayley vs. Nia Jax (Takeover: London), Hideo Itami vs. Adrian Neville (4/8 episode), Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens (Takeover: Brooklyn), Jason Jordan/Chad Gable vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Johnny Gargano (10/28 episode) Samoa Joe vs. Tommaso Ciampa (12/2 episode), Bayley vs. Eva Marie (11/25 episode), Bayley vs. Charlotte (8/5 episode), Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn(Takeover: Rival)

Now, onto the countdown. Click the show title (aside from Beast in the East) to go to my full recap of that show.

#10

Asuka vs. Dana Brooke – NXT Takeover: Respect

THIS was a debut. Many fans were excited when Kana was signed to NXT, even those (like me) who had never seen her in the ring. Videos of her maiming her way through Japan aired on TV to hype her debut and showed just a taste of what she was capable of.

In her NXT debut, Asuka showed a completely new and unique style and look that nobody in WWE has even come close to matching. The way she ran circles around Dana and tried to twist her body in ways it was never designed to do was an absolute joy to watch. But what impressed me even more was Asuka’s personality in the ring: from the way she mocked Dana’s poses and smiled in glee/arousal after Dana slapped her (drawing the most appropriate use of the “You fucked up” chant in recorded history), she showed more character than some WWE wrestlers have shown in their careers. Immense credit also has to go to Dana Brooke who just grabbed on and went along for the ride, making Asuka look like a million dollars. Dana may have been the perfect first opponent for her.

Finn Balor vs. Kevin Owens (C) (NXT Championship Match) – Beast in the East

Both Finn Balor and Kevin Owens debuted on the final Takeover of 2014 and it was clear that they both were going to be a big part of the NXT title picture in 2015. They met in Tokyo, Japan where Balor had spent nearly a decade making his mark. It was the first time the NXT Title was defended outside the US and it had all the hallmarks of a big-time Japanese title match: the streamers for the babyface Balor and the flower presentation (which Owens proceeded to chuck halfway down the aisle like they were Alex Riley). They proceeded to have a tremendous match that brought Sumo Hall down and ended with Balor victorious, starting a reign that would last for the rest of the year.

Emma vs. Asuka – NXT Takeover: London

Like Tyson Kidd last year, Emma came back to NXT in 2015 after a failed run on the main roster and proceeded to completely reinvent herself. She used the bitterness of failure and turned it into an evil gold, completely dumping the bubbles and the dancing for a more serious character. Her partnership with Dana Brooke became one of the highlights of the show for me and their feud with Asuka culminated in a match at the last Takeover of the year. Unlike the greener Dana, Emma was able to dish it out to Asuka just as much as she could take it, leading to a very physical, high impact match. They successfully turned the same tired “stupid babyface loses to distractions” trope on it’s ear as Asuka had to deal with Dana’s interference, a ref bump and Emma trying to pull a Guerrero on her, but she still managed to kick Emma’s head off to get the win. Part of me wants to believe Asuka has never actually seen a WWE show in her life and has no idea that WWE faces are supposed to lose to distraction rollups. That kind of tomfoolery deserves the perpetrator getting kicked in the head really hard.

Rhyno & Baron Corbin vs. Chad Gable & Jason Jordan (Dusty Rhodes Tag Classic Semifinal) – NXT Takeover: Respect

When Jason Jordan was searching for a new tag partner in the summer, Chad Gable and his trusty Motivation Towel was there to show him where the future was. It took a bit, but Jordan finally saw the light and NXT’s Greatest Tag Team was born. Originally booked as egotistical heels who could wrestle *really* well, the crowd took one look at their chemistry together and in-ring acumen and said “We really like these guys”. Their Dusty Classic semifinal match was the coming-out party for Superface Jordan and Gable. They battled Rhyno and Corbin in a wild, fast-paced match that had one of the coolest endings of the year (see above) that ripped the hearts out of the Full Sail crowd and made Jordan and Gable even more beloved. 2016 should be a huge year for NXT’s Greatest Tag Team.

Finn Balor vs. Adrian Neville (#1 Contender Tournament Final) – NXT Takeover: Rival

Neville was brought up to the main roster after WrestleMania to be the Breakout Star of the Year that really doesn’t do anything special or interesting but hey what a cool finisher, right? His final NXT match with Finn Balor was one last look at Neville as he should be BC (Before Cape). Neville had been showing a bit of a heelish bent in his final months of NXT and he plays the heel effectively here, trying to slow down Balor and keeping the pace from getting too out of control. Even if it had its slow moments, the final 5 minutes or so are among the best in NXT in all of 2015.

Bayley vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte (C) (NXT Women’s Title Match) – NXT Takeover: Rival

The Four Horsewomen of NXT turned everything on its ear in 2015 before three of them went to RAW and were booked into oblivion. This match was them going out there for 15 minutes and absolutely tearing it up. Charlotte had held the title nearly a year and had beaten her opponents multiple times, but now she had to do it at the same time. Four-way matches are hard to do while giving everyone ample time to shine and they pulled it off very well here as Becky and Sasha were an effective team until the allure of the title tore them apart and led to Becky suplexing Sasha across the ring. Bayley got her opportunities and started showing the aggressive side she needed but That Dammed Numbers Game kept getting in her way. It all led to the Boss outsmarting a beaten up, worn out champion and winning the title she thought she deserved for a long time.

Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor (C) (NXT Championship Match) – NXT Takeover: London

Speaking of reinventing themselves, Samoa Joe found his old mojo in 2015. Of course, spending that much time in TNA would suck the soul out of anybody, but the monster that terrorized TNA ten years ago resurfaced in the fall of 2015. He nobly teamed with Finn to win the Dusty Cup, but when his request for a title shot didn’t pan out, he decided beating the hell out of the champion and demanding one was the better course of action. It led to the main event of London, a hard-hitting, back and forth, wildly entertaining brawl that had the UK crowd rolling in the aisles.

Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks (C) (NXT Women’s Title Match) – NXT Takeover: Unstoppable

If you are strictly talking technical, in-ring quality, this was the best match in NXT in 2015. Becky’s whole offensive gameplan is built around an arm submission finisher, so Sasha decides to mess with her head and go after HER arm as well, leading to a psychology filled match with arms bent in really gnarly ways. This is probably Sasha’s best overall match in a year full of career highlights. This also was the coming out party for Lynch as she finally started to find herself as a character to match her in-ring skills and was rewarded in defeat by the Full Sail crowd singing her theme song to her, one of the best moments of the year.

You can probably guess what the top 2 matches on this list are and you’d be correct.

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley (C) (30-Minute Iron Man Match for the NXT Women’s Title) – NXT Takeover: Respect

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks (C) (NXT Women’s Title Match) – NXT Takeover: Brooklyn

Honestly, for a while the order was flipped here and honestly, you could ask me in two weeks to make this list and I could again put the Iron Man match in the top spot. The Iron Man match was probably my single most anticipated match not only of 2015, but of at least the last 5 years and it delivered in spades. Bayley and Sasha went out there with probably the most pressure they have ever faced in their lives and put on an absolute classic. Sasha stealing Izzy’s headband, making her cry and instantly becoming the biggest heel in the history of wrestling is something I’ll never forget.

But none of that happens without Brooklyn.

I cried at the end of that match. Literal tears. And I’ve only been a fan of NXT really since the Network era began so I couldn’t imagine how someone who had watched Bayley and Sasha when they were faceless jobbers on Hulu felt as 13,000+ were eating out of the palms of their hands for 20 minutes. This was quite easily the greatest women’s match in WWE history (yes, I know I just contradicted myself, shut up) and in the top 5 on my personal list of all time favorites. Bayley pulling off a super reverse rana off the top of all things to land the death blow is one of those jaw-dropping moments you show people when you want to explain why you put up with all of the crap wrestling can shovel at you. You want to show someone why the “Divas Revolution” sucks? You want to show someone not only a great women’s match, but a great match period? Show them Bayley vs. Sasha from NXT Takeover: Brooklyn.

That will do it for 2015. I’ll see you in 2016.

I’m @PKIsTwitting on Twitter. Say hi and tell me how wrong I am with this list.