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#4 Io Shirai and Candice LeRae steal the show
I love a heel Io Shirai.
A lot of NXT fans, myself included, were disappointed that Io Shirai didn’t beat Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women’s Championship at the last TakeOver. But it did lead to the interesting choice to see Io snap on her friend Candice LeRae after a steel cage title match. It was a very surprising choice to have a second women’s match on an NXT TakeOver show. It paid off in a big way on Saturday night.
The match was easily the best NXT women’s match of the year. Io Shirai is one of the best in the world with her amazing high-flying offense. But it was surprising to see her heel mannerisms so perfect as well. Candice LeRae more than held her own with the incredibly fast pace of the encounter. The crowd clearly believed the near falls Candice LeRae got throughout the exciting fifteen-minute match.
After Io Shirai “snapped” she was able to pick up the quick submission victory. It was the most unexpected great match on the card and has clearly established both Candice LeRae and Io Shirai as two of the best the NXT women’s division has to offer. I want to see more of both in the future.
#3 Velveteen Dream “Steals” The Win
It was surprising to hear the Mountie’s entrance theme in 2019. But we should expect the unexpected when you have the Velveteen Dream on an NXT TakeOver show. He will always have an entertaining entrance.
Triple threat matches are hard to pull off convincingly. Pete Dunne, Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong did a very good job of keeping the offense going throughout the nearly twenty-minute match. Watching the multiple power moves and submissions involving all three performers was quite impressive to see. Roderick Strong, the veteran of the group, looked like a star with his wonderful stiff strikes.
The ending of the match was a bit of a surprise. Pete Dunne was going for a pin when Velveteen Dream threw him out of the ring. Dream then hit the Elbow Drop to retain the title. It is surprising to see Dream win in that fashion and continue an already lengthy North American Championship reign. Here is hoping Velveteen Dream moves up to the main title picture again soon. He certainly deserves it at this point.
