Running Time: 360 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 2
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: March 25 2019
(Thanks to Fetch Publicity for arranging this review.)
Normally, a wrestling compilation features several great matches, and a selection of inferior bouts to serve as filler. In the case of The Best Of NXT: TakeOver 2018, though, virtually every match is excellent, making this a truly outstanding DVD collection. I could probably finish the review there, but instead I’ll delve into the matches themselves.
Kicking us off are two matches from TakeOver: Philadelphia. Aleister Cole vs. Adam Cole under Extreme Rules (fitting for the location) is very good, but even better is the NXT Title match between Andrade “Cien” Almas and Johnny Gargano, which may just be the best NXT match ever. From TakeOver: New Orleans, we’re treated to a fantastic, if slightly long, six-way Ladder match to crown the first North American Champion. Closing out disc one are two matches from TakeOver: Chicago II, in the form of a fine battle between Velveteen Dream and Ricochet, and an awesome Chicago Street Fight between Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Onto the second and final disc, we get three matches apiece from both TakeOver: Brooklyn IV and TakeOver: War Games II. The Undisputed Era vs. Moustache Mountain is a great doubles match, Adam Cole and Ricochet is another thriller, and Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane is a very well-executed contest. Finishing off this set, we have an excellent Gargano-Black bout, a very exciting Ciampa-Velveteen battle for the NXT Title, and a simply superb eight-man War Games match.
This is the best WWE DVD of 2019 so far by a country mile. Every match is either very good, excellent or even better, and the set covers a diverse range of performers, styles and stipulations. The only slight negatives are that the collection is only two discs, as opposed to the traditional three, and that the first Gargano-Ciampa battle from New Orleans (which was incredible) is absent. Otherwise, though, the DVD set is close to flawless, and for a six-hour round-up of NXT TakeOver in 2018, it almost couldn’t be any better.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 – Classic
