Just 24 hours before an extravagant SummerSlam pay-per-view, the Superstars of NXT arrived at the Barclays Center for TakeOver: Brooklyn II, a live special on Saturday that looked to steal the weekend out from underneath the main roster stars for the second consecutive year.Shinsuke Nakamura won the NXT Championship from Samoa Joe just 20 minutes after one of the most awe-inspiring entrances in wrestling history. Asuka successfully retained the NXT Women's Championship over Bayley in the night's most emotional bout.The Revival's Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson overcame the challenge of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, and Bobby Roode made a glorious arrival.With concerns about NXT's roster depth hovering over the show like a black cloud, the brand's top stars, management and production team came together to deliver a show that wowed the audience and set the bar high for the Superstars of Raw and SmackDown to try to eclipse, making NXT as a whole the biggest winner of the night.Which individuals stood out for all of the right or wrong reasons' Winner: Shinsuke NakamuraThere was no question that Nakamura was the face of NXT ahead of Saturday's show. He was already a phenomenon the likes of The Undertaker or Brock Lesnara Superstar whose aura transcends the confines of the squared circle.No championship victory was going to elevate him in the eyes of the fans or solidify his standing as the franchise player of wrestling's hottest brand, because he had done that all by himself.What the win over Samoa Joe in the main event did was etch Nakamura's name in the history books and complete the quickest rise to championship gold in NXT since Kevin Owens.At TakeOver: Dallas, Nakamura arrived on the scene and instantly asserted himself as the brightest star in the NXT Universe with a five-star classic against Sami Zayn.Now, just less than five months later, he stands atop the brand as its champion.NXT goes where he takes it, which fulfills the prophecy that Triple H and management set for him when they signed the international icon. Loser: Billie KayFor weeks before TakeOver, Billie Kay emerged as the first real breakout star of the women's division in the New Era, earning victory after victory and setting herself up to be one of the top contenders to Asuka or Bayley following the Brooklyn show.Then, NXT announced the Australian would battle Ember Moon in the dynamic new star's first match.After Kay ate a twisting stunner and had her shoulders pinned to the mat, it became clear that NXT had built her up to sacrifice her to the newcomer. Her championship opportunities had evaporated along with her winning streak.Kay can clean that up with a victory and a strong push in the weeks to come, but as is the case with the underrated Peyton Royce, it has never felt like management was invested in pushing either of the Australians into championship contention. Winners: The RevivalDash and Dawson once again added to their highlight reel with one of the best performances of the night, a victory over Ciampa and Gargano. The successful retention of the NXT Tag Team Championships came in a match straight out of 1988 NWA, when Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard used to steal shows out from underneath cohort Ric Flair in battles with Lex Luger and Barry Windham.The bout at TakeOver utilized in-ring psychology, villainous chicanery and creative near-falls to captivate the spectators and provide them with an extraordinary match that overshadowed every other bout on the card.The champions have developed into the most consistent act on NXT. They have overcome a lack of promo time by building it into their act. They run their mouths as little as possible, allowing their fists and feet to do the talking.It is a refreshing take on pro wrestling in the 2010s and one that allows the champions to stand out from the rest of the pack.Their performances in high-profile title defenses do not hurt either.
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