The superstars of WWE 's junior brand NXT wowed fans once more at NXT TakeOver: New York last night.
A sold out Barclays Center in Brooklyn played host to the 24th NXT TakeOver event to kick off WrestleMania weekend.
Taking place on April 6, the show featured the customary five matches and each one delivered in spades.
Here, our resident match ratings aficionado, Mo Chatra, presents his assessments of the five encounters.
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NXT Tag Team Championship
War Raiders vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black
NXT TakeOver: New York's opening contest was a terrific back-and-forth tag team battle. It was fought at a frenetic pace with Ricochet and Hanson, in particular, making liberal use of the Barclays Center airspace.
The bout ended when the Raiders hit Fall Out on Ricochet for the win. An emotional Ricochet and Black bid farewell to the NXT crowd after the match as they now move full-time to the main roster. A perfect opening bout that set the stage for the remaining contests.
Match rating: ****1/4
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North American Championship
Velveteen Dream vs. Matt Riddle
NXT North American Champion Dream has developed a reputation for assembling great TakeOver matches- and this outing opposite former UFC fighter Riddle was no different. A relatively slow, mat-based start made way for some breathtaking exchanges with Riddle coming close to claiming his first title in NXT.
It wasn't to be, however- Dream retained the gold after reversing a pin with a small package variation. The North American title match was every bit as good as the opener.
Match rating: ****1/4
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WWE United Kingdom Championship
Pete Dunne vs. Walter
This all-European bout was a hard-hitting affair. Birmingham’s Dunne and Austrian Walter used all manner of strikes to try and gain and maintain control. For the first time, an opponent kicked out of The Bruiserweight’s Bitter End finisher for a near fall.
Walter then rallied, hitting a powerbomb from the middle rope before landing a big splash from the top to result in the night’s first title change. An exceptional outing from two of NXT UK's finest.
Match rating: ****1/2
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NXT Women's Championship
Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair vs. Kairi Sane vs. Io Shirai
The night's fourth successive championship match was another exciting effort. The odds were stacked against champion Baszler, and her title reign looked close to ending when Belair hit a double Burning Hammer on both Sane and Shirai. However, Baszler capitalised on that moment to sink in a rear naked choke on Belair to earn a title-retaining submission victory. Though not at the level of the three matches that preceded it, this was another great bout.
Match rating: ****
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NXT Championship – 2 out of 3 falls match
Adam Cole vs. Johnny Gargano
If Shawn Michaels is Mr. WrestleMania, then Johnny Gargano is Mr. Takeover. On the NXT specials, Gargano ALWAYS delivers- and this may have been the best of all his classic TakeOver outings.
This best-of-three falls contest for the vacant NXT title was as dramatic a match as you will ever see. For the deciding third fall, both Gargano and Cole came perilously close to ending the bout on multiple occasions as the fans in attendance came unglued.
Despite interference from Cole’s Undisputed Era comrades, it was Gargano who emerged victorious, forcing a tap-out from the Gargano Escape for his first NXT Championship. One of the all-time great matches.
Match rating: *****1/2
It goes without saying, but WrestleMania 35 will do well to match the quality of NXT TakeOver: New York. Of the 24 TakeOvers that have taken place since 2014, this was the best of the lot.
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Full Results
1. War Raiders (Hanson and Rowe) (c) defeated Aleister Black and Ricochet in a tag team match to retain the NXT Tag Team Championship
2. Velveteen Dream (c) defeated Matt Riddle in a singles match to retain the NXT North American Championship.
3. Walter defeated Pete Dunne (c) in a singles match to win the WWE United Kingdom Championship
4. Shayna Baszler (c) defeated Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and Kairi Sane in a Fatal 4-Way match to retain the NXT Women's Championship
5. Johnny Gargano defeated Adam Cole in a two-out-of-three falls match to become the new NXT Champion.
Watch WWE WrestleMania 35 live on the WWE Network or on Sky Sports Box Office at midnight on Sunday, April 7.
You can follow all the action as it happens in the Mirror Sport WWE WrestleMania 35 Live Blog.
