NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a brilliant show that offered up thrilling action from start to finish. The night began with a bang as Dakota Kai, Raquela Gonzalez, Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon put on a fantastic tag team match. Io Shirai, Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm battled it out in a superb Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Dakota Kai and Raquela Gonzalez vs Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon in the women’s Dusty Classic Finals.
This match set the tone for the entire night with its, fun, frantic and fantastic pace. It was a historic match, and all four competitors performed worthy of the occasion.
The action was great from the start with Gonzalez dominating early on. The momentum and the dynamics of the shifted as Kai spent a lot of time playing the “babyface in peril” as Blackheart and Moon singled her out. Gonzalez even got the hot tag and clean house spot rarely seen by heels. But, it did not make Blackheart and Moon look like heels either, just very smart wrestlers.
The tide turned again when Blackheart saved her partner from a two-on-one beatdown. She took out Kai with a bullet-like suicide dive, and Gonzalez ate a Code Red before teaming up with Moon to flatten Kai with a Doomsday Device splash to the outside.
Moon had the match in her grasp as she locked Gonzalez into an STF/Camel Clutch submission, but Kai recovered in time to make the save. Gonzalez made sure Moon paid for the hold by launching her on the entrance ramp.
With Moon out of the way, Gonzalez and Kai hit Blackheart with a double team before Gonzalez planted “The Ballsy Badass” with her one-armed powerbomb for the victory.
This match was great fun with tonnes of thrilling action and a fantastic moment to crown the first-ever women’s Dusty Classic winners.
Io Shirai vs Toni Storm vs Mercedes Martinez in Triple Threat Match for the NXT Women’s Championship.
Three of NXT’s best wrestlers clashed in a Triple Threat Match for the women’s title and put on a spectacular bout. The action started instantly as Martinez smashed the champion before the introductions took place. The veteran continued to assert her dominance and took out Storm with a barrage of blows and gut-wrench slam. Shirai flew in and took out Martinez with a double knee strike and the match’s first pinfall attempt.
All three executed a really smooth back-and-forth sequence, which saw Martinez drive Storm to the ringside with draping twisting suplex and Shirai hit a missile dropkick to break up the fight.
Strom threw Shirai into the corner with a hip attack but ate a huge spine buster when Martinez countered the Aussie’s attempt. Shirai caught Storm in a cross face only to have Matinez break it up with a dragon sleeper into a reverse suplex.
Martinez halted a superplex attempt and dropped Storm with a brutal elevated German suplex. Shirai took advantage of Martinez’s position and caved in her chest with a big double stomp.
Outside the ring, Shirai got driven into the barricade courtesy of Martinez who walked right into a clothesline from Storm. Storm and Martinez continued to fight while Shirai leapt off a truss at ringside onto her opponents below.
Back in the ring Storm dropped Martinez with Storm Zero for breathtaking near fall. She followed up with a big diving headbutt. Storm went for the cover but a Moonsault from out of nowhere from Shirai broke the pin. Shirai took advantage and got the pinfall victory over Martinez.
This match was incredible with high-quality action galore. It was easily Storm and Martinez’s best outing on the brand and yet another stellar title defence from Shirai. A singles match with either Storm or Martinez down the line would be a great way of continuing the angle.
Let’s get to the winners of the night.
Winners: Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez
Gonzalez is a star, and NXT treats her as such. Every time she steps in the ring, she dominates impressively. Through her remarkable breakthrough performances at WarGames and her matches against Rhea Ripley, made herself a can’t miss superstar.
Dakota Kai is excellent and does not get the credit she deserves. She can take unbelievable punishment and still come back for more. It is incredible to think she yet to win a title. But hopefully, she will be claiming some gold very soon.
They were favourites to win the tournament from the start and with perfromances like this they have injected new life into the women’s tag team division.
Winner: Io Shirai
The match was Shirai’s most significant threat to her title reign thus far, and she triumphed over two formidable adversaries. Shirai’s title reign is full of brilliant and hard-fought defences, and this one is up there with the best. Despite NXT’s stacked women’s division, Shirai continues to stand above them all through her death-defying acts and consistently excellent performances.
Winner: Mercedes Martinez
Martinez looked every bit the ring general she in her first NXT TakeOver. Her decades of experience was on full show. She led the match from the start, conducting sequences and controlling large portions of the action. This match was Martinez’s best performance since her incredible cage match with Rhea Ripley last year. Hopefully, this outing is the first of many more to come.
What did you make of NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day? Let know in the comments below.
