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The latest NXT TakeOver is just around the corner, with Vengeance Day set to take place in the Capitol Wrestling Center tomorrow, February 14th. The pay-per-view will also be airing on WWE Network, the last NXT TakeOver to do so before the streaming service moves to Peacock.
At the time of writing, five matches have been announced, with three NXT titles on the line. As well as this, the winners of both Dusty Classic Tag Team Tournaments will earn a shot at the NXT Tag Team Championships, and the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
Overall, the matches on the card have been hotly anticipated, and have been built up over the past few weeks on the Black and Gold brand of WWE.
Here is the build-up to every match at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day ranked.
#5 Johnny Gargano (c) vs. Kushida (NXT North American Championship match)
Johnny Gargano is currently in his third reign as NXT North American Champion, after defeating Leon Ruff and Damian Priest in a Triple Threat match. Gargano is the first-ever NXT Superstar to win the North American Championship on three occasions, and before this was the only two-time holder of the title.
Since late 2020, Gargano has developed his own faction, The Way, led by himself and his wife Candice LeRae, with Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell along for the ride. During the rivalry that has been building against Kushida, Gargano has had The Way by his side, and even claimed that Kushida broke his arm on the go-home episode of NXT - before this was debunked by General Manager William Regal.
After this, Austin Theory took on Kushida, but the bout ended in a disqualification after Gargano kicked his rival, and he and Theory began attacking Kushida, until Dexter Lumis appeared.
The match between Johnny Gargano and Kushida at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day is sure to be great, and the arrival of Dexter Lumis has hinted that he may be involved in the rivalry.
#4 MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans (Men's NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals)
The Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic on NXT this year has been bigger than ever, with 16 teams competing, double last year's amount. The teams have been competing across both NXT and 205 Live over the past few weeks, with some great matches and shock eliminations on the way.
On the go-home episode of NXT, fans saw the semi-finals take place. In the first semi-final match the Grizzled Young Veterans defeated Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher to progress to Sunday's final. In the final match of the show, NXT newcomers MSK beat former Tag Team Champions Legado Del Fantasma, and will face Grizzled Young Veterans this Sunday.
This year's Men's Dusty Classic has been one of the standout tournaments of the past few years. Fans have seen new talent come to the forefront on NXT over the past few weeks, and even new teams and alliances form unexpectedly.
Given the performances throughout the tournament, the final of the Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic could be the standout match of the tournament.
#3 Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart (Women's NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals)
This year was the first time that the women of NXT competed in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Eight teams began battling it out a few weeks ago on NXT, and also on 205 Live in the history-making tournament.
Some newcomers to NXT started in the tournament, including the team of Cora Jade and Gigi Donlin, and Zoey Stark, who teamed up with Marina Shafir.
After the quarterfinals, the teams of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart, and the long-standing team of Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai defeated The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell), and the team of Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter in the semi-finals to progress to this weekend's finals.
The Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament is the first one ever in the history of WWE. It was also announced that the winning team of the tournament will earn a shot at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, which elevates both the women's tag team division, and the women of NXT.
#2 Io Shirai (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm (Triple Threat match for the NXT Women's Championship)
Io Shirai has been NXT Women's Champion since June 2020, after she defeated Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. Shirai has been somewhat of a fighting champion throughout her reign, and has defended her title against Candice LeRae, Tegan Nox, and Dakota Kai.
Recently, a three-way rivalry has been struck up between Io Shirai, Mercedes Martinez, and Toni Storm on NXT. Since the rivalry over the NXT Women's Championship started, the three women have been cutting scathing promos against one another, and attacking each other on the show.
On the most recent episode of NXT, a video package telling the story between the three women was shown, going into the intense rivalry between them. A vignette was shown from Mercedes Martinez later in the show, laying into her rivals once more, and declaring herself as the best person to be NXT Women's Champion.
The match between the three women at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day could really go any way, and the bout could be the best of the night.
#1 Finn Balor (c) vs. Pete Dunne (NXT Championship match)
The NXT Championship match between Finn Balor and Pete Dunne has felt as though it has been a long time coming. Tensions have been bubbling between the pair for some time, as Pete Dunne turned on one-time ally Kyle O'Reilly and joined forces with The Kings of NXT, and Finn Balor began to side with The Undisputed Era, seemingly putting their rivalry to bed.
Pete Dunne, the former NXT UK Champion has taken issue with Finn Balor over the last few weeks, and has voiced that he feels that he is just as worthy of holding the NXT Championship as Balor is.
The 2021 Royal Rumble winner Edge even got involved in the build-up to the NXT Championship match between Balor and Dunne, and made an appearance on last week's show. The Rated-R Superstar praised the skills of both Balor and Dunne, even claiming that he saw a lot of himself in Pete Dunne.
Given the build towards this title match over the past few weeks, the bout between Pete Dunne and Finn Balor could be one of the biggest of the year.
