NXT Takeover Rival Power Rankings: Owens and Banks Steal Show in NXT Classic

February 14, 2015 Patrick Hickey Jr. Professional Wrestling 0

Amazing.

One of the best two-hours of television in WWE history, NXT Takeover Rival featured some of the best in-ring you’ll ever see in your life.

Check out our NXT Takeover Rival Power Rankings to see who really stole the show.

Don’t Forget The Ladies: Sasha Banks: The Boss of NXT now has some gold around her waist. Although it was in a Fatal Four-Way and Charlotte Flair will definitely look to reclaim the title, Banks put in one of the best performances of her career. Considering that Flair, Bayley and Becky Lynch all turned in one-of-a-kind performances, it makes Bansks stand out even more.

Honorable Mention: Hideo Itami: His best match in NXT thus far, Tyler Breeze brought the fire out of Itami. Although we’d love to see him use the GTS in the WWE, his Diving Yakuza Kick is a wonderful finisher with plenty of “sizzle.” With Breeze out of the way, it’s time for Itami to do one of two things, get in the NXT title picture of find someone else to feud with. Right now, in spite of this great effort, he’s back at square one.

5: Baron Corbin: In his first real test, Corbin proved he had much more stamina than anyone thought. Selling the entire match to the more experienced and solid Bull Dempsey, Corbin got the win with a sloppy version o the End of Days, but sold his tail off and threw in a few moves that we’ve never seen before. As said countless times before, Corbin has a plethora of potential, but it’ll be even tougher from here on out. Can he continue to win, even against better talent in NXT?

4: Buddy Murphy and Wesley Blake: Ah, they have a finish. With their running Brainbuster, Frog Splash combination, Blake and Murphy put the Lucha Dragons away in an offensive-heavy match. With plenty of tricks up their sleeves and plenty of energy, Murphy and Blake are definitely not transitional Tag Team champions. Expect a long run from these guys that eventually gets them to the WWE.

3: Finn Balor: If you needed proof that Balor was the real deal, his win over former NXT Champion Adrian Neville proves he’s everything the WWE thought he was and more. Although a different performer now than when he was in the Bullet Club, Balor is just as charismatic and just as amazing in the ring.

2: Sami Zayn: In one of the best matches in his NXT career, Zayn lost the title to Kevin Owens, but painted the type of picture that wrestling fans dream about. Never pinned, Zayn will get another chance and continue a rivalry the likes of NXT have never seen.

1: Kevin Owens: In just his second match in NXT, Owens proved he’s more than just a big name from the indies. The new NXT Champion, Owens has made an impact faster than anyone could have hoped. Polished and full of moves and a master of psychology, Owens was methodical and evil in his attempt to take the NXT Championship from his former friend Sami Zayn. Regardless of the fact that Owens never pinned Zayn, he won the match and continues what has to be regarded as the hottest feud in the company.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13872 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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