NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day: 3 things that must happen

These outcomes are needed in order to top off the builds heading into NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day may not be the Valentine’s Day your significant other was thinking of, but it is still a treat that fans of the brand will enjoy on Sunday, February 14. There is a lot to look forward to on this card, as it is set up to be another solid edition in the library of WWE Network specials offered by the NXT roster. With this card on the horizon, here are five things that should happen once the night is over.

Kushida wins NXT North American Title

Johnny Gargano, also known as Johnny Wrestling, is a staple in NXT. So much so, that some fans are weary of him remaining in such a prominent position on the brand. Looking at the treatment of other wrestlers that were “called up” to SmackDown or Monday Night Raw, it is hard to see a situation where Gargano would be willing to do the same. He and Tommaso Ciampa spent a few weeks on the main roster and look how that worked out. Still, Gargano’s time as NXT North American champion should be up at the hands of Kushida.

Kushida is one of the best wrestlers in the world, regardless of weight class. He has been a part of the WWE roster for an extended period and it still seems like the creative team has no idea what to do with him. It is like getting the best car on the lot and not knowing how to drive it. Kushida has been built up very strongly since late 2020. It would be a massive mistake to have Gargano defeat him at this moment. It would throw a grenade on any believability in any builds being created in NXT. Many believe that Kushida should be in the NXT championship picture, but perhaps the first step of getting him there happens on Sunday with the North American title strapped around his waist.

Women’s Dusty Title Win to a Tag Team Title Match

The Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is scheduled to end on Sunday, with the winners getting their hands raised during TakeOver. The question remains, what do they win? The WWE Women’s Tag Team titles were originally created to be cross-brand, but that idea seems all but dropped as the belts have largely remained on Monday Night Raw. The Kabuki Warriors and Golden Role Models made a trip to NXT for some spectacular matches – but the teams featured on NXT seem to not fit into what is mostly a non-existent women’s tag team division.

All of that can be corrected by simply stating that the women who win this tournament will get a shot at the belts. Their male counterparts get a shot at the NXT tag team belts, so it only makes sense that the women would get the same, right? Here is to hoping that the WWE creative team is not tone deaf so much that they would ignore such a coveted idea as an NXT women’s team getting to carry the tag team belts for an extended run.

Io Shirai defends her title

Io Shirai is set to battle Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm. Shirai comes into the match as the babyface, battling against two heels. While Martinez and Storm are two viable contenders, it is hard to see them as the featured woman on the NXT brand. That moment goes to Raquel Gonzalez, who is a part of the tag team tournament. It should be Gonzalez that takes the title off Shirai, especially after pinning her in the women’s War Games match months ago. Pinning Storm or Martinez would not have the same impact as it would if that victory came over Shirai.

In many ways, this is another example that WWE fails to build up quality babyfaces in the women’s division. Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai should both be foils waiting for Gonzalez as champion, but their current characters make this yet another angle that cannot be done at this time. But either way, the right decision to make for NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day is to have Shirai remain champion at the end of this triple threat battle.

Since the move to the USA Network the creative build in NXT has not been the best, as it looks more and more like main roster television. There are a lot of questions heading into NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day, but at the end of the night, these are the outcomes that make the most sense to move the product forward.