Every Asuka NXT TakeOver Match, Ranked From Worst To Best

No competitor in the history of NXT has a more impressive career at TakeOver events than Asuka. The "Empress of Tomorrow" debuted for the brand in 2015 to much fanfare. She went on to appear at every major show from October of 2015 until August of 2017. While there, she dominated.

Asuka went undefeated for her entire tenure with NXT. That means that she holds an impressive 10-0 record at her TakeOver appearances. Although she was unstoppable, she still delivered fantastic matches almost every single time out. These performances helped solidify her as a top female in the company and she still holds that spot today.

10 Asuka vs. Dana Brooke - TakeOver: Respect

Asuka's TakeOver debut also happened to be her worst match. However, that's okay because this wasn't designed to be a classic or even really all that competitive. It was here to establish Asuka as a force to be reckoned with.

While in NXT, Dana Brooke made a name for herself as a trash talker who said so much that she deserved to physically get shut up. That's just was Asuka did here. She took Dana down in just over five minutes. Asuka had arrived.

9 Asuka vs. Nia Jax - TakeOver: The End

Nia Jax's run in NXT was similar to the main roster in that she was nearly unbeatable and often steamrolled her opponents. The main difference was that she never captured championship gold with the black and yellow brand.

Her biggest opportunity at the NXT Women's Title (after a loss at TakeOver: London) came at TakeOver: The End against Asuka. It was a case of someone undefeated battling a vicious monster. While the match was good, it simply wasn't on the same level as Asuka's best work.

8 Asuka vs. Nikki Cross vs. Ruby Riot - TakeOver: Chicago

By the time this show had come around, Asuka had surpassed a year as NXT Women's Champion. After sending back her toughest challenge at the previous TakeOver, she faced two opponents at TakeOver: Chicago.

Those opponents would be Ruby Riot (still with a single 't' at the time), who was quickly rising up the NXT ranks, and Nikki Cross, who was just crazy enough to beat Asuka. This was another case of a match being good but not anything special.

7 Asuka vs. Billie Kay vs. Nikki Cross vs. Peyton Royce - TakeOver: San Antonio

Whenever a champion has held a title for a long time, they typically get a bunch of challengers thrown at them at once. For Asuka, as she neared a year-long reign, those opponents came in the form of Nikki Cross and The IIconics.

While it was billed as a fatal-four-way, it really wasn't. That's because Billie Kay and Peyton Royce opted to work together throughout, never coming to blows or fighting each other. They teamed up to put Cross through a table but even together they couldn't overcome Asuka's dominance.

6 Asuka vs. Bayley - TakeOver: Dallas

After starting things off in her TakeOver career with two victories in 2015, Asuka looked to find bigger success in 2016. At the year's first TakeOver, she came face to face with Bayley, who had reigned as NXT Women's Champion since the previous August.

This contest told a different story than usual. Most title bouts are evenly matched, back and forth affairs. However, this was all about Asuka simply being better than Bayley. The champion was resilient but she just couldn't find an answer for anything Asuka did and was choked out to lose her title.

5 Asuka vs. Mickie James - TakeOver: Toronto

This one came from out of nowhere. As Asuka was flying high with the NXT Women's Title, she was challenged by someone who hadn't competed in WWE in several years. TakeOver: Toronto marked the return of Mickie James after a successful stint with TNA.

Although James was past her prime, she looked like she hadn't missed a beat. Not only did she hang tough with Asuka but she managed to make fans believe she might do the unthinkable and actually be the one to hand Asuka her first loss. Though it didn't happen, the match still ruled.

4 Asuka vs. Ember Moon - TakeOver: Orlando

It seemed like nobody truly was ready for Asuka as 2017 rolled around. She had spent over a year being undefeated and with a win in this match, she'd move to the one-year mark as NXT Women's Champion. In her way was Ember Moon, who was also coming in red hot and unbeaten.

This proved to be Asuka's toughest challenge. Ember was able to match her at almost every turn. For the first time, Asuka looked shaken and a bit nervous. When Ember went up for her devastating Eclipse finisher, a desperate Asuka shoved the referee into the ropes, causing her to fall. From there, she retained in lucky fashion.

3 Asuka vs. Emma - TakeOver: London

It's easily the most overlooked and underrated match of Asuka's career. It might actually be the most underrated TakeOver women's bout in history. After dispatching of Dana Brooke, Asuka's next challenge was Brooke's friend, Emma.

Emma had returned to NXT to shed her goofy babyface character and developed a more villainous personality. When they met to open TakeOver: London, they stole the show with the best match of the night.

2 Asuka vs. Bayley - TakeOver: Brooklyn II

Asuka holds Bayley in a submission on the ropes

In 2015, Bayley delivered an all-time classic match and moment when she beat Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women's Title. Many consider it the greatest women's match in history. A year later, she returned to Brooklyn as the challenger once again.

As noted, Bayley got dominated at TakeOver: Dallas when she faced Asuka. To beat her in this rematch, she needed more fire and to get more aggressive. She did just that. Bayley would hit Asuka back as hard as she could and stepped up to the physical nature of the champion. Still, Asuka put her down in what was Bayley's swan song from NXT.

1 Asuka vs. Ember Moon: TakeOver: Brooklyn III

There was just something about the big stage that Asuka loved. A year after the clash with Bayley, Asuka had another rematch in store for TakeOver: Brooklyn III. This time, she would meet Ember Moon again after barely surviving against her the first time around.

Ember learned from previous mistakes and came out firing. She sent Asuka back on her heels several times and even connected on the Eclipse this time around. However, Asuka managed to kick out to the shock of everyone. The champion retained soon after, ending her NXT career with a perfect record.

NEXT: The Empress: 10 Facts WWE Fans Should Know About Asuka