WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019 Results: Star Ratings for Each Match

Not to be swallowed up by all the attention given to Survivor Series, NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019 set out to prove why NXT is the A-show by having what had the potential to be one of the best events of the year Saturday.

Both cage matches featured a large chunk of the most talented men and women on the roster, Finn Balor's return against Matt Riddle was an easy sell and a Triple Threat for a title shot rounded out a great-looking card.

Now that the dust has settled, how did things pan out? Was the potential for greatness capitalized on or wasted?

Let's break down all of the matches to see what parts of the night fell short of expectations and which segments were worth the hype.

As with any scale or system that is based on opinion, everything is subjective.

There are several approaches to star ratings. Some hold strict that a 5-star rating should only be used in the rarest of cases and should be nearly impossible to obtain. Others throw the term Match of the Year around like it's nothing.

Ratings are also a product of their time. What was a classic decades ago might be boring to some now.

It's important to keep in mind that everything in this review will be based on personal preferences, with as much of a mix of public opinion thrown in as possible. But if you happen to disagree and think a match should be rated higher or lower, you have the power to give your ratings in the comments section.

Here is an explanation of what this scale equates to in terms of its representation and purpose:

• ***** = 10/10. A classic that will be remembered forever.
• ****½ = 9/10. Amazing. Just shy of perfect. A Match of the Year contender.
• **** = 8/10. Great.
• ***½ = 7/10. Very good.
• *** = 6/10. Above average; good.
• **½ = 5/10. Average; just OK.
• ** = 4/10. Below average; bad.
• *½ = 3/10. Very bad.
• * = 2/10. Awful.
• ½* = 1/10. Terrible. Effectively worthless.
• 0 = 0/10. Reserved for rare worst-case scenarios.

There has never been a match on the pre-show of a TakeOver event until now. Thankfully, the inaugural kickoff match was Isaiah "Swerve" Scott against Angel Garza, and they did a great job of whetting everyone's appetite for the evening.

It was far from the best match of the night, but it was rock-solid. Both are very talented and are quickly making names for themselves as some of the pre-eminent cruiserweights and overall Superstars in NXT.

The match was just long enough not to be rushed or overstay its welcome with both getting time to shine.

Although it's not a can't-miss match, if you skipped it, it's worth going back and checking out.

Rating: ***¼

The wrestlers, writers and producers who booked this match deserve tons of praise, as they crafted an incredibly fun 40 minutes.

Starting with Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai was smart. It capitalized on their previous feud and put LeRae at the disadvantage early on.

The bubbly babyface perfectly fit as a sympathetic underdog who couldn't overcome Shirai and Bianca Belair no matter how scrappy she was.

Then, to change the tide, Rhea Ripley's entrance was met with a massive pop to save the day. The crowd erupted even more when she brought weaponry into the ring. Whether by luck or strategy, that moment did wonders to put her over.

Following that was another great moment with Kay Lee Ray teasing bringing in a table to please the crowd, only to put it back in true heel form to upset the audience.

Moments like Belair's 450 and Shirai's moonsault shouldn't be swept under the rug, even when talking about arguably the biggest moment, which was Dakota Kai's heel turn on Tegan Nox. That will be an interesting story to watch unfold.

Stacking the odds against the babyface team only for Ripley and LeRae to fight back and win was an absolute thrill.

Rating: ****½

It was a tall task for this Triple Threat to follow the women's WarGames match. The men were working with a spent crowd that needed a breather and a bathroom break.

Despite that mountain to climb, this was still pretty good, even if it fell flat in some areas.

Pete Dunne was the glue keeping this together, but he's wrestled far better matches.

Damian Priest was the standout. Once the ball was rolling, he started to shine by showing a display of power and agility, giving Killian Dain a Razor's Edge and jumping over the ropes to the outside like he was a cruiserweight.

In that, this match exposed a big flaw. When Dain isn't booked as "the big man," he has nowhere to fit in.

A man his size is out of his element if there's someone taller and stronger than him as well as someone smaller and more technically gifted. There wasn't anything for him to do but just be the other guy in the match.

This was good, but not great.

Rating: ***

As much praise as should be given to those responsible for the women's WarGames match, the opposite should be said for whoever made the decisions for this match.

From the onset, this was slow. This hindered the whole segment, as it took several minutes to get interesting.

That meandering pace also doesn't fit Finn Balor. Perhaps it was a poor attempt to distinguish that he's a heel now and shouldn't be as flashy, but instead of getting the point across that he's a villain, he seemed more bored than anything else.

The first half of this was like watching a veteran go through the motions in a match he doesn't want to wrestle. After that, he and Matt Riddle finally started working toward a decent bout, but the damage had already been done.

This was far from a strong showing for either man. They're more talented than what they had to offer this night.

Rating: **½

While this was certainly good, it didn't top the women's match from earlier.

With the big mystery lingering, most of the action was somewhat lost in the shuffle as everyone eagerly anticipated finding out who would be on Team Ciampa.

Once it was revealed to be Kevin Owens, your mileage may vary on if that was worth the wait.

On one hand, it's a huge benefit for NXT to have someone of his caliber, and it's a logical move after The Undisputed Era had attacked him on Raw. Owens is one of WWE's most underutilized and overlooked talents who should be much higher-prioritized than he's been.

On the other hand, if you were hoping for something monumental, Owens isn't as much of a game-changer as someone like CM Punk or even a returning John Morrison could have been.

Is it WWE's fault if you expected more, though? Nobody ever said it would be someone not on the current roster.

But the very idea of building up hype is to get people to speculate, so if anyone goes overboard and feels disappointed, it's still somewhat on WWE for not reeling in expectations.

It's hard to find a match with as much talent as this, but it's also difficult to say it was as good or better than the opening contest for this event.

Rating: ****¼

How many stars would you give the matches from NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019? Tell us your ratings in the comments below!

Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.