NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II filled with potential for rising stars

— -- One year ago, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn took a surging brand and elevated it into another stratosphere. The show featured several in-ring classics, including a showdown between Bayley and Sasha Banks that was widely recognized as one of the best matches of the year in any company.

TakeOver: Brooklyn, NXT's first ever special outside the confines of Full Sail University, completely changed the future of NXT. Live event tours under the NXT banner expanded well beyond Florida, where they had largely remained the last few years. Two further TakeOver specials -- one in London and one in Dallas during WrestleMania weekend -- were made possible by the success of TakeOver: Brooklyn at the box office and through the overwhelmingly positive response from fans.

These are the kind of expectations that NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II has to live up to.

Of all the contracted superstars that appeared on this show one year ago, only Bayley, Samoa Joe, Tye Dillinger and Blake and Murphy remain on the NXT roster. Joe and Bayley have two of the four most prominent spots at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, but the rest of the card bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

That being said, all three title matches are based around compelling stories that have been given ample time to grow over the last few months of NXT broadcasts.

Shinsuke Nakamura's ascension to the status of No. 1 contender for the NXT championship has been compelling to watch, and the conflict with Samoa Joe is reaching its peak at just the right time. Bayley's return to the scene of her greatest triumph is contrasted by her current struggles against Asuka. And as for the NXT tag-team championship showdown pitting The Revival against Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, the latter have been well-positioned as underdogs who are still fully capable of taking the next step, thanks to their exploits in the ring both with and against each other in the last few weeks.

The rest of the show offers a pair of debuts that should be crucial to how NXT proceeds in the future. With the departures of top-class talent like Finn B?lor, Kevin Owens, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Sami Zayn, Becky Lynch and American Alpha, there has been a need for new talent to step up and take over the top spots.

Bobby Roode is making his long-awaited debut against another newcomer, Andrade "Cien" Almas, in what should be a strong showcase for both superstars. Ember Moon makes her first NXT appearance against Billy Kay, in a match that could go a long way in determining whether one or both of them can provide a well-needed shot in the arm for the depth of the NXT women's division. With the recent departures of Nia Jax, Carmella and Alexa Bliss -- and the high likelihood that Bayley will soon get a promotion of her own -- the opportunity to stand out right away is there for the taking.

Here's a deeper look at the four matches that have had extended builds towards Saturday night's conclusions in Brooklyn -- the three championship matches, as well as the culmination of the ongoing feud between Austin Aries and No Way Jose.

NXT championship: Samoa Joe vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

NXT has made a habit of taking dream matches that no one thought were possible -- due to geographic, contractual or other seemingly impassable barriers -- and making them a reality. That trend continues in Brooklyn in the NXT championship match, as Samoa Joe defends his title against Shinsuke Nakamura.

Since his debut at NXT TakeOver: Dallas, Nakamura has had high-profile matches against Zayn, B?lor and Austin Aries, but each of those matches has only had a small build with most of the hype generated by the spectacle of seeing the match itself. Each of those victories helped tell the story leading up to this championship match in Brooklyn, but for the first time since his debut, Nakamura has been given the chance to tell a well-rounded story with Joe.

It has taken some compelling twists and turns along the way as Samoa Joe, who was very vocal about not getting a fair shake in his pursuit of the title when B?lor held it, tried denying Nakamura a rightful chance of his own until general manager William Regal stepped in and made the match.

Nakamura's style is unlike that of anyone in NXT -- or the world, to be quite frank. His seemingly violent strikes are deadly serious, but his ability to be an eccentric has also been on full display.