NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day Results, Grades, and Analysis

Io Shirai (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez vs. Toni Storm for the NXT Women’s Championship

Result: Io Shirai wins by pinfall

Grade: B+

Another great match at NXT TakeOver Vengeance Day. You had to know with the talent of these three women involved in the match, we’d be in store for a treat. And we were. So many fans ended up rooting for Mercedes Martinez to pull off the upset, because she delivered another top-drawer performance in this Triple Threat.

Martinez had a couple of close calls and hit some big moves. She popped me a little with her casual evasion of Io’s moonsault to the outside before then tossing the champ over the barricade.

But in the end, Shirai, arguably the best wrestler in the entire world inside that squared circle, retained her NXT Championship. She did so after it looked like Toni Storm would score a pinfall victory on Mercedes Martinez. Io moonsaulted in to break up the pin, and she got the 1-2-3 on Martinez to seal yet another successful title defense.

It was the correct booking decision on WWE NXT’s part, and it leaves us with plenty to think about heading into the next episode of the Black and Gold brand. As it stands, the most likely next match for the title would be Storm vs. Shirai after Storm was protected from a pin.

Another highlight of this wonderful match was Io taking it to the skies with another high-risk move, crossbodying off a great height onto her two competitors. It’s amazing how much Io puts her body on the line in each of her title defenses, and not only is it exciting, but it also serves to put over just how much holding this prestigious championship means to a wrestler.