In the late 2010s, it become regular for NXT pay-per-views to exceed the main roster's counterpart in quality, especially when the two had their events on the same weekend on consecutive nights. That steam began to wear off in the early 2020s, but that is not to say that NXT TakeOver events do not deliver.
The first TakeOver event took place in May 2014 and, at the time of writing, 36 editions have been produced. Some TakeOvers have been amazing while others were learning curves for the brand.
10 NXT TakeOver: Orlando (8.09)
Part of WrestleMania 33 weekend, NXT TakeOver: Orlando took place on April 1, 2017, from the Amway Center in front of 14,975 fans.
The show opened with an eight-person mixed tag match with SaniTY (Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, Killian Dain, and Nikki Cross) facing Kassius Ohno, Roderick Strong, Tye Dillinger, and Ruby Riott. Aleister Black and Andrade "Cien" Almas came next followed by another tag match but for the NXT Tag Team Championships with The Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) defending against #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) and The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) in an elimination match. Ember Moon challenged Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship in the co-main event. The event closed with Bobby Roode defending the NXT Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura.
9 NXT TakeOver: The End (8.07)
Early TakeOver events used to be held at Full Sail University and on Wednesday nights. NXT was ready to move its PPVs to larger venues and bid farewell to TakeOver at Full Sail, but the COVID-19 pandemic years would see the events return to the venue. In front of 400 fans, NXT TakeOver: The End took place on June 8, 2016.
Tye Dillinger battled Andrade "Cien" Almas in the night's opener followed by The Revival challenging American Alpha (Chad Gable and Jason Jordan) for the NXT Tag Team Championship. Shinsuke Nakamura faced Austin Aries. In the co-main event, Nia Jax challenged Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship. The night's main event saw Samoa Joe defend the NXT Championship against "The Demon" Finn Balor in a Steel Cage match.
8 NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver - Night 2 (8.00)
NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver was a two-night event that took place on April 7 and 8, 2021, at the WWE Performance Center with a combined attendance of 500 fans. The first night was well-received but the second night struggled to connect with fans despite having a tremendous card on paper. Kicking the show off was a Ladder match for the undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Championship between Santos Escobar and Jordan Devlin.
The NXT Women's Tag Team Championship match was next with Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defending against The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell). The co-main event saw Karrion Kross challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Championship and an Unsanctioned match between Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole (BAY BAY!) ended the night.
7 NXT TakeOver: London (7.90)
The first TakeOver held on international grounds took place on December 16, 2015, at The SSE Arena in London, England. NXT TakeOver: London occurred in front of 10,079 fans, a crowd that was strongly in favor of Finn Balor who was in the main event.
Asuka vs. Emma was the first match of the night. The Revival was up next to defend the NXT Tag Team Championship against Colin Cassidy and Enzo Amore. Apollo Crews against Baron Corbin was the next bout followed by Bayley defending the NXT Women's Championship against Nia Jax. The main event of the evening was for the NXT Championship with "The Demon" Finn Balor defending against Samoa Joe.
6 NXT TakeOver: San Antonio (7.45)
The sixth worst TakeOver of all-time according to Cagematch.net had a very surprising return take place in the show. NXT TakeOver: San Antonio took place on January 28, 2017, at the Freeman Coliseum in front of 9,465 fans. Eric Young battled Tye Dillinger in the opening match followed by a clash between Roderick Strong and Andrade "Cien" Almas. The Authors of Pain challenging #DIY for the NXT Tag Team Championship came next.
.
Before the co-main event took place, Seth Rollins made an unadvertised return to NXT, storming the ring and calling out Triple H who he would face months later at WrestleMania 33. After Rollins was removed by security, Asuka defended the NXT Women's Championship against Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Nikki Cross. In the main event, Shinsuke Nakamura defended the NXT Championship against "The Glorious" Bobby Roode.
5 NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way (7.38)
NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way was the second-ever TakeOver, occurring on September 11, 2014, at Full Sail University in front of 400 fans. The NXT Tag Team Championship was on the line to kick off the show with The Ascension (Konnor and Viktor) defending against The Lucha Dragons (Sin Cara and Kalisto).
CJ Parker vs. Baron Corbin came after the tag title match, followed by a Hair vs. Hair match between Enzo Amore and Sylvester Lefort. Bull Dempsey against Mojo Rawley was next, Bayley challenging Charlotte for the NXT Women's Championship came after. In the night's main event Tyson Kidd, Tyler Breeze, and Sami Zayn challenged Adrian Neville for the NXT Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match.
4 NXT TakeOver XXX (7.37)
Originally scheduled to take place in Boston, NXT TakeOver XXX occurred at the WWE Performance Center on August 22, 2020, with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show's first match was Timothy Thatcher against Finn Balor. The second bout was a Ladder match for the vacant NXT North American Championship, with Damian Priest, Bronson Reed, Cameron Grimes, Johnny Gargano, and The Velveteen Dream.
Making his professional wrestling in-ring debut, Pat McAfee clashed with Adam Cole. Io Shirai defended the NXT Women's Championship against Dakota Kai in the co-main event. In the night's closing match, Karrion Kross challenged Keith Lee for the NXT Championship.
3 NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable (7.28)
Containing one of the most exciting debuts, NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable still ranks very low in terms of quality for TakeOver events. Unstoppable went down on May 20, 2015, at Full Sail University in front of 400 fans. The opening contest was a #1 contenders match for the NXT Championship between Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze. A tag match followed with Charlotte and Bayley squaring off against Emma and Dana Brooke.
Next on the card was Baron Corbin vs. Rhyno. The NXT Tag Team Championship match was next with (Wesley) Blake and (Buddy) Murphy defending against Colin Cassidy and Enzo Amore. The co-main event was for the NXT Women's Championship with Sasha Banks defending against Becky Lynch. In the actual main event, Kevin Owens challenged Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship. At the end of the show, Samoa Joe made his NXT debut.
2 NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2020 (7.06)
Reviving the "In Your House" theme for the first time in 21 years, NXT TakeOver: In Your House was an exciting concept for WWE but did not wow fans.
Occurring on June 7, 2020, at the WWE Performance Center, the night started with a six-woman tag with Mia Yim, Shotzi Blackheart, and Tegan Nox opposing Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai, and Raquel Gonzalez. Finn Balor against Damian Priest came next followed by Keith Lee defending the NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano. In a Last Chance Backlot Brawl, Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream. Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa was the co-main event. The night's closing contest was a Triple Threat match for the NXT Women's Championship with Charlotte Flair defending against Rhea Ripley and Io Shirai.
1 NXT TakeOver: In Your House 2021 (6.79)
The worst NXT TakeOver event to date, according to Cagematch.net, took place at the WWE Performance Center on June 13, 2021. This event was NXT TakeOver: In Your House; going back-to-back on the list for the top (or bottom) honors with its predecessor from the prior year. The second NXT IYH opened with a Winner Takes All six-man tag team match; on one side was Bronson Reed and MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee), on the other was Legado Del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Joaquin Wilde, and Raul Mendoza) for both the NXT North American Championship and NXT Tag Team Championship.
Xia Li clashing with Mercedes Martinez was second on the card. The third was LA knight against Cameron Grimes in a Ladder match for the Million Dollar Championship. The co-main event was for the NXT Women's Championship with Ember Moon challenging Raquel Gonzalez, and the main event of the worst TakeOver event was a Fatal 5-Way match for the NXT Championship with Kyle O'Reilly, Adam Cole, Johnny Gargano, and Pete Dunne challenging Karrion Kross.