Every Major NXT Event Of 2020, Ranked From Worst To Best
Even with the many struggles that came with it, 2020 was a banner year for NXT. It marked the first full year for the brand with its own timeslot on national television. Along with their major TakeOver events, they also ran several special shows on the USA Network that were bigger than the average weekly ongoings.
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They also hosted a show alongside NXT UK in January before the Royal Rumble, making this a year filled with special events. Throw in NXT UK's TakeOver: Blackpool show and it becomes tougher to figure out just which of these cards were actually the best.
10 Super Tuesday
Was it a bit odd for NXT to name an event Super Tuesday and have it take place over the course of two weeks? Certainly but the shows themselves were pretty solid. The first night, on September 1, featured a doozy of a main event. Johnny Gargano, Finn Bálor, Adam Cole, and Tommaso Ciampa met in an Ironman match for the vacant NXT Championship.
When that ended in a tie, Bálor and Cole faced off the following week in the opener, with Bálor winning the title in a great match. These shows also saw a very good Steel Cage bout between Rhea Ripley and Mercedes Martinez, as well as a fun Street Fight but not much else of note.
9 TakeOver: XXX
The first TakeOver on the list was the historic thirtieth iteration. In terms of importance, there were some notable things to happen. Karrion Kross dethroned Keith Lee of the NXT Title, even if the main event was lackluster. Damian Priest also won the vacant North American Championship.
The two best matches of the night saw Io Shirai and Dakota Kai clash over the NXT Women's Title, as well as the impressive debut of Pat McAfee when he took on Adam Cole. While both of those matches were very good, neither stood out enough to make this rank higher.
8 Halloween Havoc
Fans were ecstatic at the return of Halloween Havoc under the NXT banner. The show even saw the revival of the "Spin the Wheel, Make The Deal" concept from the early '90s days of WCW. Shotzi Blackheart was also a spirited choice to host such an event.
The night was bookended by a Devil's Playground match between Johnny Gargano and Damian Priest and a Tables, Ladders & Scares match pitting Io Shirai against Candice LeRae. Both were very good, as was the clash between Rhea Ripley and Raquel Gonzalez. Plus, it was endlessly entertaining to see Cameron Grimes be terrified of Dexter Lumis.
7 TakeOver: In Your House
This was when NXT was still struggling without a live crowd but they managed to deliver a quality show with major happenings. For one, Karrion Kross made his debut and basically squashed former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.
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Keith Lee retained his North American Title against Johnny Gargano, Finn Bálor helped make Damian Priest into a star in their match, and the six-woman tag to open the show was very good. The biggest moment saw Io Shirai capture the NXT Women's Title in a stellar main event against Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.
6 TakeOver: Blackpool II
The lone NXT UK show on this list came in early January. To get the only negative on the show out of the way, it ended with a whimper. WALTER and Joe Coffey had an overly long United Kingdom Title match that missed the mark and disappointed most fans. However, the rest of the show ruled.
Jordan Devlin and Tyler Bate had one of the better matches of the year. Piper Niven, Kay Lee Ray, and Toni Storm went to war in a classic Women's Title contest. There was a thrilling tag team ladder match and a hidden gem of an opener between Eddie Dennis and Trent Seven.
5 The Great American Bash
Another past WCW PPV name brought back for NXT was The Great American Bash, which ran for two weeks to start July. Night one had a few down moments but was highlighted by two excellent matches. The first saw Dakota Kai, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae, and Mia Yim in a great match for a Women's Title shot. The other was a dream main event between Sasha Banks and Io Shirai.
Night two had a quality match between Isaiah Scott and Johnny Gargano, as well as a violent Street Fight involving LeRae and Yim. The main event was historic, with Keith Lee beating Adam Cole to become a double champion.
4 TakeOver 31
The least cleverly named event of the year saw some great matches. Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano kicked things off with a bang, while Io Shirai and Candice LeRae again reminded people of their great chemistry.
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The show was nearly stolen by a Cruiserweight Title match between Santos Escobar and Isaiah Scott. Of course, the actual highlight was the main event. Finn Bálor defended the NXT Championship in a brutal fight with Kyle O'Reilly. Though Bálor retained, he broke his jaw in two places during it.
3 TakeOver: War Games
The final major NXT show of 2020 took them back to War Games. Like every year with the stipulation, NXT nailed it. The men's match where The Undisputed Era beat The Brand was an epic, while Team Candice beat Team Shotzi in a women's version that was one of the best in history.
The rest of the show was also strong. Dexter Lumis and Cameron Grimes had a fun strap match, while Tommaso Ciampa defeated Timothy Thatcher in a hard hitting clash. Leon Ruff, Johnny Gargano, and Damian Priest also nearly stole the show in their meeting.
2 Worlds Collide
If you pit the stars of both NXT and NXT UK against each other, then you're in for a treat and that's just what Worlds Collide did. Even the match that disappointed (Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm) was still good. The standouts included a stiff battle between Ilja Dragunov and Finn Bálor and a wild Cruiserweight Title four-way.
The main event pitted NXT's best two factions against each other, with Imperium beating The Undisputed Era in a 30-minute classic. There was also the dream bout that saw #DIY take on Moustache Mountain in a match of the year candidate.
1 TakeOver: Portland
The first official TakeOver of the year was the best. There were six matches and the worst was still a very good NXT Title main event between Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa. The rest of the show featured nothing but tremendous matches.
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair had a stellar Women's Title match. Dominik Dijakovic and Keith Lee had one of their better bouts. Finn Bálor vs. Johnny Gargano was awesome. Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai tried to settle their score in a brutal Street Fight. Lastly, The Undisputed Era against The Broserweights was excellent tag team competition.
