NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Power Rankings: Joe and Owens Set Scene for Future

May 24, 2015 Patrick Hickey Jr. Music, Professional Wrestling 0

In just two hours, NXT Takeover Unstoppable was able to do something RAW has problems doing in three hours-deliver six solid matches and a last-minute surprise that changes the face of the promotion. It also gets you pretty damn excited about the future.

Check out our NXT Takeover: Unstoppable Power Rankings to who else starred in another solid event from the WWE’s developmental territory.

Samoa Joe: His appearance in the promotion keeps the spotlight on it and makes him relevant for the first time in months. A former TNA World Heavyweight Champion, Joe brings a ton of credibility to the young promotion.

Honorable Mention: Baron Corbin: In easily the biggest match of his young career, Corbin beat Rhino in a tough match that showed he can sell a bit more than anyone gives him credit for. The jury is still out however if Corbin is more than a one-move monster. Hitting nothing but strikes throughout the match, Corbin needs to polish up his movies some more.

5: Finn Balor: In a match where he sold like crazy, Balor came back strong and got the win to earn the #1 Contender’s spot for the NXT Title. While Balor was strong in the ring, some credit should be given to Balor’s dancing partner for the night, Tyler Breeze, who put over Balor, allowing him to hit several variations of his Stomp and strikes. A big-time fan favorite, with plenty of experience, Balor appears set to get the big time push he hasn’t gotten yet. The bigger question is, does WWE brass think he has what it takes to win the NXT title?

4: Blake and Murphy: The reigning NXT Tag Team Champions held on to their titles at Unstoppable, thanks to some help from Alexa Bliss. Although they are not the most charismatic teams in NXT, they are one of the most polished in the ring and because of that, they serve as a solid standard for every other team in the promotion. Is there any team out there that can beat them?

3: Sasha Banks: Those who thought Paige and Charlotte Flair were respectable Women’s Champions in NXT, must think that Banks is a goddess in the promotion. In one of the best matches on the Unstoppable card, Banks retained her title in a fluidly-paced and methodical match that was light years ahead of any Divas match on RAW or Smackdown. Simply put, Banks is ready for the main roster.

2: Sami Zayn: His second loss to Kevin Owens puts a big time damper on his NXT Title chances. He’s still the heartbeat of the promotion, but Kevin Owens and now Samoa Joe, look to be much better candidates to have the title.

1: Kevin Owens: He destroyed Sami Zayn and now has Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and John Cena on his hit list. Is there a more dominant champion in all of professional wrestling right now?

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 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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