Shayna Baszler And Kairi Sane Stole The Show At NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4

When it comes to NXT: TakeOver shows, picking a ‘match of the night’ is never an easy task, and TakeOver: Brooklyn was no exception. But one match in particular shone that little bit brighter than the rest: the NXT Women’s Championship match between Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane.

‘Queen of Spades’ Shayna Baszler has really found her feet as NXT’s resident monster heel, and it’s been a joy to watch her progression from grass-green newbie to a legitimate menace, replete with antagonistic swagger. She is a world away from the promising but shaky debutante we saw during the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

The story built around her capture of the NXT Women’s Championship and subsequent domination of the women’s division might have fell flat but for two important factors. Baszler’s believability as the vicious bully holding the locker room in terrified thrall, and the concurrent desire for someone to rise up and teach her a lesson.

By contrast, ‘Pirate Princess’ Kairi Sane is a relentlessly positive force, a fan favourite with an arsenal of crowd-pleasing moves. She does not scream ‘giant killer’, at least superficially, but Sane’s persona rewards looking beneath the surface. As winner of the first Mae Young Classic, Sane has faced down Baszler once before, and emerged victorious in the face of adversity.

Where previous challengers have lacked in confidence (Dakota Kai) or fell at the final hurdle (Nikki Cross) there was a big, glaring question mark over whether Sane, for all her obvious ability, would be strong enough to withstand Baszler’s grounding offence and punishing tenacity.

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What made Baszler/Sane so good from the offset was the unpredictability. Nikki Cross might have been a match for Baszler in terms of ferocity, but it never really seemed likely that she would be the one to dethrone the Queen of Spades.

But Sane held the distinction of having bested Baszler before, and not only that: Sane has been shown to possess a killer instinct of her own. Making an example of Aliyah on the go-home show was all about building credibility, and it worked. We’ve seen Baszler rattled before, but I don’t think we’ve ever seen her look quite so threatened.

Nonetheless, Sane’s victory was by no means a foregone conclusion. Baszler has a history of destroying even her most spirited competitors, and even though it made perfect sense that Sane should be the one to end Baszler’s reign, there was no guarantee that it would happen now, at this event. Would Sane have to endure the chase first? Would a newly-threatened Baszler double down and fight even harder?

The result of all this uncertainty was an absolutely thrilling match from start to finish. The upper hand switched back and forth at dizzying speed. Watching Baszler bend Sane’s leg in unnatural angles was viscerally thrilling even while willing Sane to break free. Sane hitting one Insane Elbow after another seemed sure to put the champ down, but Baszler’s bloody-minded stubbornness saw her kick out twice.

When Baszler locked in the Kirifuda clutch, it all looked to be over, but somehow she found the strength to reach for the ropes. Every time Baszler went in with callous aggression, Sane countered with fire and ferocity, matching her blow for blow.

The suspense played out right to the very end: a third Insane Elbow felt like a decisive finish until Baszler countered, masterfully reversing into another Kirifuda clutch. And just when that seemed like the end, Sane reversed again into a completely unexpected roll-up, pinning Baszler for the three count.

That last Kirifuda clutch felt so definitively like the end – we’ve seen Baszler win so many matches with this manoeuvre, and there was surely no way Sane would escape a second time. So when the win came, it was even sweeter for having taken everyone completely by surprise.

Sure, Ricochet/Cole was flashier, and Ciampa/Gargano more emotionally charged, but Baszler/Sane was an exercise in getting everything exactly right. Nothing felt forced or contrived. Nothing felt predictable, but nothing felt ridiculous either. And where their Mae Young Classic match occasionally drooped through Baszler’s lack of experience, there was none of that here – Baszler has put the work in, and it shows.

Kairi Sane slayed a monster in Brooklyn, but it did not come easy: her struggle was entirely befitting of the story NXT has built around Baszler, and put an end to her reign without making her look weak. As for Sane – the elation at watching her snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is exactly what a babyface victory should make you feel. The Queen is dead. Long live the Pirate Princess.