The next Superstar to step to Io Shirai for the NXT Women’s Title will have to earn their opportunity in a massive Battle Royal tonight on NXT Take Off to TakeOver.
As the only former champion in the field, Rhea Ripley has to be considered a strong favorite, especially after toppling Mercedes Martinez in a brutal Steel Cage Match earlier this month. Can The Nightmare take the next step toward recapturing the gold she lost earlier this year?
Dakota Kai came up short in her quest to dethrone Shirai last month at NXT TakeOver XXX, but The Captain of Team Kick is still dead set on becoming champion. Plus, Kai’s enforcer Raquel González is also in the bout, and we’ve seen that “Big Mami Cool” is anything but shy about inflicting pain on Kai’s behalf.
The Battle Royal will also play host to former friends Candice LeRae and Tegan Nox, whose long-simmering issue has intensified in recent weeks after Nox’s tense visit to The Gargano household. Will LeRae and Nox be able to focus on the task at hand, given their increasingly bitter rivalry?
Additionally, the up-and-coming Shotzi Blackheart impressed in going toe-to-toe with Shirai this past week. Can Blackheart bounce back to earn another chance at bringing the NXT Women’s Title to the ball pit?
But with the field also including promising upstarts such as The Robert Stone Brand’s Aliyah, Kayden Carter, Kacy Catanzaro, Xia Li and Indi Hartwell, might an underdog be able to pull off a stunner for the right to challenge challenge Shirai?
Tune in to NXT at 8/7 C tonight on USA Network to find out who will get an opportunity to compete for the NXT Women’s Championship!