Ranking every match from NXT TakeOver: XXX

#4 Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai for the NXT Women's Championship

Who's got the edge in tomorrow night's #WWENXT #WomensTitle match at #NXTTakeOver: XXX: @shirai_io or @DakotaKai_WWE? pic.twitter.com/Y0GyYjHU8G

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 21, 2020

Heading into NXT TakeOver: XXX, there was not a whole lot of talk or buzz surrounding the Women's Championship Match. Io Shirai and Dakota Kai had done solid jobs on promos in the lead up to this event. However, the challenger did not quite feel like she could overcome the champion who had just won the title at the last TakeOver event.

At TakeOver: In Your House, Io Shirai defeated the formidable competition of the two-time NXT Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and former champion Rhea Ripley in an exhilarating Triple Threat Match. Shirai had long been considered one of the best female wrestlers in the world, so her win felt like a justified reward for a fantastic performer. The build towards her first TakeOver title defense had lofty expectations to meet.

Although Dakota Kai has been a very good heel for the NXT brand since her turn back at TakeOver: WarGames, the shine on her character has been diminished in the months since. She had a solid feud with Tegan Nox, but many losses in the time span since then did not help to elevate her to a level close to Io Shirai. NXT had opportunities to create doubt in Shirai successfully defending, but it felt like they failed to do so.

The #WomensDivision belongs to @shirai_io. #AndStill#NXTTakeOver https://t.co/h5zrrslpmg pic.twitter.com/F7zhWvLW4l

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) August 23, 2020

This match had a slow build at first then went into second gear with Shirai's comeback. The NXT Women's Champion showed her brilliant high flying, selling, and technical ability throughout this encounter. Her challenger, Kai, was precise and deliberate with her attack on the champion's arm.

Kai's Armbar on Shirai was the most dramatic point of the contest. The struggle and selling on Shirai made you believe that she could lose the NXT Women's Title. The ref bump also allowed Shirai to have a visual pin after hitting her Over The Moonsault, which on occasion, will set up a cheap win for the heel challenger. With the referee down, Kai's backup, Raquel Gonzalez, interfered to further put the title in jeopardy. However, Shirai hit a moonsault to the outside on both Dakota and Raquel. Then back in the ring, the NXT Women's Champion hit a second Over The Moonsault for the win.

This was a solid enough NXT Women's Title match, but just fell short of the high standard of previous NXT TakeOver women's matches of the past. In the post-match, we saw a confrontation between Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley as well as a tease of Ripley going after Shirai's NXT Women's gold next.