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NXT TakeOver 31 took place in the newly-remodeled Performance Center called the Capitol Wrestling Center. This added a lot aesthetically to this PPV in a lot of ways. The small capacity crowd and gritty type of arena combined with ThunderDome-style virtual fans added a unique atmosphere to this show. However, the NXT roster more than stepped up to provide a highly entertaining two and a half hour event.
We saw many thrilling encounters and surprising moments on NXT TakeOver 31. We also got to witness the return of WWE Superstars to the NXT brand. Most of all, the performers on this night were all looking to outdo one another to stand out on one of the best shows of the year from any WWE brand. From the atmosphere to matches to performances, this felt like the great TakeOvers of old.
With only five matches and all delivering on a certain level, determining who stood out the most could be a daunting task for anyone. In this article, we will highlight the top five performers from NXT TakeOver 31.
#5 Damian Priest
Damian Priest just won the NXT North American Championship in an exhilarating five-man Ladder Match at TakeOver XXX in August. This contest against Johnny Gargano would have to deliver for him to truly prove himself as worthy of the title. This match did just that.
We got a very hot opener here, with the fans in attendance very loud and vocal throughout. Johnny Gargano played a sneaky, conniving foil to Priest in this encounter. However, Damian Priest stood out the most in this NXT TakeOver 31 opening match. The champion showed off his skills in the ring with a nice mix of strength and agility.
His stunning flip dive taking out the security at ringside highlighted his tremendous athleticism. Priest's facial expressions and body language showed his charisma and rockstar presence. In the end, he was able to reverse the One Final Beat from Gargano and hit the Reckoning to get the victory. This was a perfect showcase for Priest in a very good opener to NXT TakeOver 31.
#4 Io Shirai
The NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai is one of the best wrestlers in WWE regardless of gender. Since winning the title at TakeOver: In Your House, she has had a splendid reign as NXT Women's Champion featuring strong matches throughout. Here at NXT TakeOver 31, she had arguably her best title defense yet against Candice LaRae.
These two ladies had the Match of the Night back at TakeOver: Toronto last year. Going into NXT TakeOver 31, they had high expectations. They more than lived up to their previous match here despite some shenanigans towards the end of their encounter. We had two referee bumps and Johnny Gargano coming down, trying to be the ref himself. However, Shirai was able to overcome all of that, hitting a top rope Spanish Fly followed by the Over The Moon-sault for the win.
Io Shirai showed off her captivating selling ability and engaging arsenal of maneuvers to more than stand out on a night filled with fantastic wrestling up and down the card. She is truly the benchmark for women's wrestling on the NXT brand and arguably in the entire WWE. Shirai proved this once again at NXT TakeOver 31.
With the returns of Toni Storm and Ember Moon, she will have more opportunities to establish herself as one of the greatest NXT Women's Champions in history moving forward.
#3 Isaiah "Swerve" Scott
NXT TakeOver 31 marked the first NXT Cruiserweight Championship match to be featured on this major show. We also saw the first TakeOver matches for both Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and the champion Santos Escobar. Both men showed that they have all the ability to be mainstays and deliver on this stage with their stellar chemistry in this match.
The champion showed his skills as a star in this division, slowing things down when he had to and connecting with high impact offense. He also showed his smart heel persona by setting up the finish in expert fashion as well. However, it was the challenger in this contest who stood out the most at NXT TakeOver 31. Isaiah "Swerve" Scott highlighted his smoothness in the ring as well as top-notch ability to have a wide range of styles.
Swerve showed off his Lucha Libre with some great high flying, his technical skills by working over the arm of his opponent and unique pacing, which allowed this match to peak at the right time.
Despite the finish being somewhat off with Escobar using an exposed buckle to get the victory, this contest more than delivered a fun Cruiserweight Championship Match that elevated both men and the title here at NXT TakeOver 31.
#2 KUSHIDA
KUSHIDA has been on NXT for over 18 months following a long run as the Junior Heavyweight Ace in New Japan Pro Wrestling. In his first appearance here at NXT TakeOver 31, he had a showcase match, in which he dominated his opponent Velveteen Dream for the most part.
The NXT TakeOver 31 ring gear of both men immediately caught the eye of the WWE Universe, with Dream mocking KUSHIDA's "Back To The Future" character coming out as Doc Brown made this match stand out, despite arguably being the weakest match on this stellar PPV. KUSHIDA came out in Marty McFly attire himself, which Dream pointed out in his trash-talking while on offense. This turned out to be a good encounter with KUSHIDA dominating towards the end by attacking the arm of Dream and locking on his Hoverboard Lock for the victory.
The new, highly aggressive KUSHIDA should allow him to move up the card on NXT nicely. He has needed an edge since coming to this brand, and it seems like he finally has it here. This statement match at NXT TakeOver 31 should give him something to build off from here on the weekly television.
#1 Kyle O'Reilly
The main event of NXT TakeOver 31 was the most anticipated contest of this show. Both Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly seemed highly motivated coming in and are two of the most compelling superstars on the NXT brand. This made the WWE Universe look forward to this NXT Championship encounter and expect a Match of the Year candidate. That is exactly what they got.
The two men showed incredible chemistry with one another right off the bat in this closing match to NXT TakeOver 31. The match started slow, but picked up with each man trading control throughout. Finn Balor was able to lean more on the heel side, showing some overconfidence with his experience in major main events like this, but O'Reilly showed that he could more than live up to this stage with an engaging babyface performance.
This NXT TakeOver 31 main event featured hard-hitting offense, compelling sequences and some fantastic submissions for the entire 28-minute duration. The hard shots led to both men bleeding from the mouth with O'Reilly being the highlight with his excellent selling of his rib cage. This was a star-making performance for the Undisputed Era member. He proved himself to be a main eventer and top star for the NXT brand.
Despite the loss, Kyle O'Reilly made a statement here at NXT TakeOver 31. He is a future NXT Champion and can be a presence on the main roster to come. For those fans who have seen him before NXT, we knew this to be true. However, O'Reilly proved that he is here to stay without a shadow of a doubt in the biggest match of his WWE career.
