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With some major rivalries to settle, NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was scheduled for February 14, 2021. The brand was looking to deliver, and the creatives did exactly that by booking some of the best matches fans have seen all year.
Io Shirai was booked to defend her NXT Women’s Championship in a Triple Threat Match against Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm. Finn Balor, on the other hand, had a date with Pete Dunne with the NXT Championship on the line.
The finals of the men’s and women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic were also held during NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. KUSHIDA got his hands on the NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano but surprisingly failed to win a title once again.
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In this article, we will look at the five things WWE NXT got right at TakeOver: Vengeance Day.
#5 MSK goes all the way at WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
MSK and The Grizzled Young Veterans were all geared up for the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic at WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. MSK has impressed the WWE Universe since their debut at the start of the tournament, while GYV has been impressive for over a year now.
Wes Lee went on a run early and took out the members of GYV. However, Nash Carter was taken out by GYV when the referee was distracted and they tried to take control of the match.
GYV continued to impress with their strength and teamwork during the match while Lee and Carter continued to hit some top high-flying moves. Lee marginally escaped the Doomsday Device and MSK hit their finisher on James Drake but could not put him away.
The match continued as both teams continued to deliver some top spots throughout. Near-falls ruled the match as it was unclear who would come out on top to win the 2021 Dusty Rhodes Classic.
MSK fought out of Ticket to Mayhem and then hit Drake with their springboard assisted neckbreaker to pick up the biggest victory of their NXT careers. The victory awarded them the Dusty Rhodes Cup soon after their debut. The match was good, and even though GYV equally deserved to win the tournament, NXT went with the young and exciting newcomers.
Both teams impressed, and GYV showed once again why they should be in the NXT Tag Team Championship picture. As for MSK, it looks like the creatives have some big plans for Lee and Carter.
#4 Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai win the Women's Dusty Rhodes Classic at WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
The first match of WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day saw the final of the Women's Dusty Rhodes Classic take place. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart teamed up to compete against Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai.
While there were no real favorites in this one, Gonzalez and Kai had the momentum coming into the contest as the stronger tag team. Gonzalez took control of the match early and made Moon pay with some big slams. She nearly took Blackheart out of the equation by planting her with a sit-up powerbomb into the safety glass at ringside.
The match picked up from there as the babyfaces tried to fight their way back into the match, while the heels continued to push them down. Moon hit an Eclipse on Gonzelez but could not capitalize, as Kai distracted the referee.
Blackheart finally got into the match and took everyone down with some great moves. Moon worked on Gonzalez’s back in order to try and weaken her a bit, but Kai helped her partner get back into the match once again.
The two teams kept trading some big blows before Gonzalez took Blackheart down from the top rope and then delivered the Choke-bomb to pick up the victory at Vengeance Day.
The match was fun and elevated the NXT women’s tag team division. Kai and Gonzalez winning was the right call to make as it allows them a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles while their momentum is red hot.
On the other hand, now that Vengeance Day is finished, Moon can now focus on getting into the NXT Women’s Championship picture.
#3 Io Shirai continues her golden run at WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
One of the biggest matches on the WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day card saw Io Shirai defend her NXT Women’s Championship. Shirai has been one of the most dominant NXT Women’s Champions in history. However, she was stuck between the former NXT UK Women’s Champion Toni Storm and the ruthless Mercedes Martinez.
Martinez took control of the match early and tried to show the NXT Universe what she’s got. She hasn’t had too many matches on the brand, and it was important for her to take the upper hand early.
Shirai got back in the match with a 619 and also hit Martinez with a double stomp from a tree of woe. Storm came back into the match and hit Martinez with Storm Zero. However, the Superstar kicked out just in time to remain in the Vengeance Day match.
The Genius of the Sky came out of nowhere to deliver a moonsault to both women soon after and picked up the victory to retain her title at Vengeance Day.
While this was a good match, it wasn’t as great as some of Shirai’s other title defenses. However, keeping the title on Shirai was the right thing to do as the only time WWE should take the title away from her is when she’s ready to move to the main roster.
#2 Finn Balor picks up his 15th WWE NXT TakeOver victory at Vengeance Day
The most anticipated match of WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day took the final spot on the card. Finn Balor came out to defend his NXT Championship against ‘The Bruiserweight’ Pete Dunne.
After some initial technical exchange and submission attempts, Dunne tried to break The Prince’s fingers. Balor tried to come back into the match and worked on Dunne’s knee to find an opening.
The knee strikes helped Balor slow Dunne down and made it more difficult for the NXT Superstar to deliver explosive moves. Both men delivered some big offence, and Dunne stomped on Balor’s fingers in an attempt to break them once again.
The Prince of NXT countered Dunne’s finisher attempts a couple of times and finally hit the Coup de Grace on The Bruiserweight. But he didn't just stop there, as he finished his opponent off with 1916 to pick up a clean victory and retain his title at Vengeance Day.
The match was fantastic and worth the wait. Both men delivered and sold each other’s moves to perfection. Balor vs Dunne was arguably the best match of the brand since TakeOver: Portland. The perfect main event to a virtually perfect show.
#1 The Undisputed Era implodes at WWE NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
The show wasn’t over after Finn Balor managed to retain his WWE NXT Championship against Pete Dunne at TakeOver: Vengeance Day. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch came out after Balor’s victory and attacked The Prince.
The three-on-one beatdown called for The Undisputed Era to hit the ring and make the save. Adam Cole, Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly sent the heels running before O’Reilly assured that Balor could bank on them.
While it seemed like Balor was ready to join The Undisputed Era, Cole delivered a Superkick to the NXT Champion out of nowhere. KOR wasn’t happy with Cole’s actions and began to argue with him. This prompted Cole to deliver a Superkick to KOR too and seemingly end The Undisputed Era in the process.
Cole left the ring while Strong was left with a big decision to make. Fans have been waiting for Undisputed Era to implode for months now. However, NXT held on and delivered the shock at the right moment at Vengeance Day.
Not many were expecting the turn at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, and the angle will allow the brand to build some new storylines. NXT has broken up the most dominant faction in WWE, and it will be interesting to see where they head from here.
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