We are now less than three days away from the first night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver and at that event Raquel Gonzalez will challenge Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Title in the main event. Leading up to this match, Shirai has done everything she can to take out Gonzalez. From their brawls throughout last week’s episode of NXT, Gonzalez shows off her strength and power whereas Shirai shows her tenacity.
Shirai chose to face Gonzalez and even picked her several weeks ago by saying she wanted it to be her to challenge next. Shirai has now held the NXT Women’s Title for 300-days and has gone through many opponents in the time of her reign. Some of those include Rhea Ripley, Mercedes Martinez, Dakota Kai, Toni Storm, Candice LeRae, and Charlotte Flair who she defeated for the title last year in a Triple Threat (including Ripley).
Now, Shirai may have met her toughest opponent yet as Gonzalez is a formidable force. In a promo that was released on social media, Gonzalez showed how she has been training for this match.
The video reads as follows:
“I built myself to be a champion. Action is the real measure of power. For months I have been running the NXT women’s division. But on April 7th I make it official when I pluck Io Shirai out of the sky and throw her down. I will stand and deliver my new reign as the new NXT Women’s Champion. Actions will always speak louder than words. But visually you can see the change. I have built a machine. I have built myself to be physically the strongest. The most powerful. I have built myself to become the beast. I am the brick wall that nobody can get through. Every drop of sweat, every sore muscle, and every victory was earned. April 7th is one more victory. I will make my family and make my father proud when I bring home the NXT Women’s Championship.
Io Shirai, you may be the genius of the sky but when you come back down to Earth it won’t be by choice. It’ll be by force. And that force is Raquel Gonzalez.”
Night One featuring this match in the main event takes place on April 7 while Night Two on April 8 will see the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles on the line. Champions Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon will be taking on The Way’s Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell.
Who is going to walk out of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver as the NXT Women’s Champion?
