Ranking all the matches at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day
NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a fantastic show and could very well be the contender for the best pay-per-view of the year when 2021 comes to an end. NXT's creative team wisely kept things straightforward right until the end, where a massive show-closing segment stunned the fans and has created a buzz among the WWE Universe.
The show began with Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez taking on Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart in the finals of the Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Next, Johnny Gargano defended his NXT North American Championship against Kushida.
Apart from that, MSK took on Grizzled Young Veterans in the finals of the Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai put her title on the line against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez in a triple threat match.
In the highly-anticipated main event of the night, Finn Balor defended his NXT title against the former NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne. That said, here in this slideshow, we'll be ranking all the matches on the card in ascending order of their quality. Do share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.
#5 Io Shirai retains her NXT Women's Championship against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez
Io Shirai retained her NXT Women's Championship against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez in a good match that couldn't match the quality of other bouts on the card. While the Superstars deserve credit for putting in the hard work and coming up with a couple of memorable spots like the double submission maneuver and Shirai's double splash on the outside, the ending was mighty underwhelming.
Though the suddenness of the ending might have been the point of it, the execution was a bit clunky. It didn't look like Shirai connected the Moosault correctly, and even the cameras failed to catch it properly. As praiseworthy as their efforts were, the match was relatively the weakest on the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day card, which was filled with incredible bouts.
A one-on-one bout between Shirai and either of the two challengers could have been the better option and led to a more coherent and less disjointed title match. As for what we got today, it wouldn't be remembered even by the hardcore fans of these Superstars and of WWE's Black and Gold brand.