NXT takes over the Barclays Center Saturday night for the second edition of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn on the eve of SummerSlam. Even if you've never watched NXT before, TakeOver is a must-watch if you're a wrestling fan.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn begins at 8:00 p.m. ET on the WWE Network.
Here are 3 reasons why you need to watch:
The WWE roster has undergone a tremendous overhaul in the last few years. If you look at the SummerSlam card for Sunday night, 30 of the 44 stars scheduled to compete have spent time wrestling in NXT. There's a good chance a few of the wrestlers performing Saturday night will be a big part of next year's WrestleMania, and it's extremely rewarding to see the growth and progression of stars as they eventually move from NXT to the main roster. If you invest yourself in NXT as a fan, you're probably going to enjoy Raw and SmackDown a lot more.
Asuka and Bayley faced the near-impossible challenge immediately following the Shinsuke Nakamura-Sami Zayn match that was the highlight of WrestleMania weekend at TakeOver: Dallas in April, and the two women delivered a 15-minute classic. Asuka took Bayley's title by making her submit, and has yet to lose a single match since debuting last September. Bayley won the NXT Women's Championship for the first time a year ago at the first TakeOver: Brooklyn, defeating Sasha Banks in what was later crowned the NXT Match of the Year award. It remains to be seen how long Bayley remains off the main roster after her surprise debut at Battleground, but tonight's title bout could potentially be her last TakeOver match.
In addition to the Women's Championship match, The Revival will defend their tag belts against the team of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano - who recently wrestled each other as a part of the Cruiserweight Classic. The main event of the night is NXT champion Samoa Joe against Shinsuke Nakamura, the Japanese star that has taken the WWE by storm since his debut in Dallas. If you haven't seen Nakamura wrestle yet, go back and watch his match against Sami Zayn right now.
