5 potential finishes to Finn Balor vs Pete Dunne at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day is scheduled for February 14, 2021. While lovebirds around the world will be looking to surprise their partners with some gifts on Sunday, NXT Superstars will be looking to bag some big victories during the night.

The NXT Women’s Championship and North American Championship will be defended by Io Shirai and Johnny Gargano respectively at Vengeance Day. One of the biggest matches of the night will have Finn Balor defend his NXT Championship against Pete Dunne. Dunne is only Balor’s second challenger in his current title reign, as injury kept The Prince on the sidelines for some time.

Dunne will be looking to take the title away from Balor and begin his first NXT title reign, while Balor will be looking to make his own reign more memorable. 2021 Royal Rumble winner Edge will be watching this match closely, as the outcome could influence his decision for WrestleMania 37. Will The Rated-R Superstar take the bold step of challenging the winner of the contest to an NXT Championship match at WrestleMania?

This will be a high stakes match, and it could end up being a show-stealer. Let’s take a look at five potential ways the match between The Prince and The Bruiserweight can come to an end at TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

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#5 Pete Dunne becomes the new NXT Champion clean at TakeOver: Vengeance Day

There are some big matches scheduled for the first NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. However, none feel as grand as the NXT Championship match between Finn Balor and Pete Dunne. Both men have done well to build up towards this contest without competing with each other in the ring before.

Balor had two good title defenses against Kyle O’Reilly, but Dunne is a completely different animal in the ring. The Bruiserweight has already impressed the NXT Universe in the past with his NXT UK Championship reign. He will be looking to bring all that experience into this contest.

Fans have watched the heel get help from his faction-mates in the past, but Dunne could look to bag a clean victory over Balor to end his rivalry with The Prince. With that in mind, fans could watch an epic contest between Balor and Dunne at Vengeance Day, before Balor tastes The Bitter End to lose the title to Dunne.

Balor’s title reign hasn’t been the best so far, even though he’s held the title for a long time. Allowing Dunne to become the Champion could help NXT free The Prince to move back to the main roster just in time for WrestleMania.

#4 Pat McAfee returns to help Pete Dunne become the NXT Champion at TakeOver: Vengeance Day

Pete Dunne may look to end the match in a clean manner. However, The Bruiserweight of NXT could look to make things dirty at TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

Dunne returned to NXT late last year as a member of Pat McAfee’s new faction known as The Kings of NXT. Along with Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, the four men competed in a great match at TakeOver: WarGames.

However, that was the only time the four men competed together, and McAfee has been away from the NXT ring ever since TakeOver: WarGames. Things could change this time around, and the loudmouth could make a dramatic return at TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

WWE could book McAfee to return and help Dunne win another match, just like he helped him win a Ladder Match against Kyle O’Reilly before TakeOver: WarGames.

Lorcan and Burch already have the NXT Tag Team titles around their waists, and McAfee could bring The Kings of NXT back into the picture by helping Dunne become the NXT Champion.

This will not only help the faction become prominent once again, but it will provide them with a major boost early in 2021 and possibly make McAfee a regular feature on NXT.

#3 Finn Balor takes down his second challenger at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day

In September 2020, Finn Balor defeated Adam Cole to win the NXT Championship for the second time in his career. Balor is arguably the biggest Superstar in NXT today, and the former Universal Champion looked to help the brand reach new heights.

However, a jaw injury ruined the creatives’ plans, and The Prince has only had two title defenses since his Championship victory. Both victories came against Kyle O’Reilly after competing in stellar matches.

The Prince will be looking to extend his NXT Championship reign at Vengeance Day and also make it more memorable with a good match. This could prompt him to fight till the end, and also kick out of the Bitter End on a couple of occasions.

Balor could fight through the pain at Vengeance Day and survive some finger-snapping attempts by Pete Dunne to hit the Coup de Grace and 1916 DDT to retain his title. This could allow NXT to build on their plans to give Balor a memorable title reign.

It will also help them build towards a potential dream match between Balor and Karrion Kross for the NXT title at WrestleMania 37.

#2 The Undisputed ERA and NXT Tag Team Champions spoil the contest at TakeOver: Vengeance Day

The Undisputed ERA seems to have formed an unlikely friendship with NXT Champion Finn Balor. While The Undisputed ERA’s Kyle O’Reilly has competed against Balor for the title twice, both men have shown each other mutual respect after their matches.

Recently, O’Reilly and his faction helped Balor during an attack by Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan, and Danny Burch. Balor returned the favor soon after, and the two men then teamed up to defeat Lorcan and Burch.

At NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day, both The Undisputed ERA and the NXT Tag Team Champions will be without a match. However, they could interfere in the match between Balor and Dunne to try and help their friends out.

This could result in a disqualification or no-contest at Vengeance Day. The result will allow NXT to stretch this rivalry for a little longer. It will also get The Undisputed ERA in the NXT Tag Team titles picture once again.

On the other hand, NXT could continue to tease the alliance between Balor and The Undisputed ERA. This would keep the fans guessing whether Balor would join the faction and make it even bigger.

#1 Edge spears the winner of the NXT Championship match at TakeOver: Vengeance Day

The contest between Finn Balor and Pete Dunne is likely going to be long and dirty. Balor will try his best to make his title reign more memorable and remain The Prince of NXT. The Bruiserweight, on the other hand, will be looking to snap Balor’s fingers and deliver the Bitter End to win his first NXT Championship.

The chances of interference are high in this one, which could end up having a big influence on the outcome of the match. One thing that fans might see is the presence of the 2021 Royal Rumble winner during the contest.

Edge has confronted both men on NXT earlier and warned them that he will be watching the match very closely, before making his decision for WrestleMania. NXT could bring Edge to the announce table or the crowd at Vengeance Day to have him watch the match up-close and also increase the excitement around the contest.

Balor seems like the favorite to win the contest, and WWE could have Edge Spear the winner following the match to make a big statement. Since Balor is neither a clear heel nor a babyface, Edge’s actions should not affect his own character. However, it will help increase anticipation around the NXT Championship picture heading past TakeOver: Vengeance Day.