The Demon rose at NXT TakeOver: The End… and seemed right at home inside the steel cage that encased the squared circle. The only bad thing for Finn Bálor was that Samoa Joe did, too. After entering the ring, the NXT Champion was happy to slam the door shut and stare down The Demon. The first Steel Cage Match in NXT history started off with both men taking their time in sizing each other up, only for Joe to try to escape through the cage door.
The two competitors traded control of the bout until Samoa Joe overpowered Bálor, hurling The Demon into the unforgiving steel with reckless abandon. Joe thought he was done after dishing out that punishment, but Bálor would not let him out of the cage. The challenger rebounded and sent Joe crashing into the steel with a big dropkick, and tried to climb over Joe and out of the cage. The battle soon made its way to the ropes, as both men tried to get out. At a stalemate, Bálor took Joe down to the mat with the Sling Blade. However, Joe countered a corner dropkick from the challenger, eventually hitting Bálor with the Muscle Buster, only for The Demon to kick out.
Bálor put Joe on the canvas with a pair of dropkicks and followed up with the Coup de Grace, but Joe got his shoulder up at the last second. That woke something up in Bálor, who immediately tried to connect with 1916. The NXT Champion countered with the Coquina Clutch, but The Demon slipped out and stomped Joe to the mat. Finn climbed up and was halfway out of the cage when Samoa Joe caught him and hoisted Bálor onto his shoulders. Jumping off the middle rope, Joe drove The Demon into the canvas with a thunderous Super Muscle Buster to get the three-count and retain the title.
In their previous battles, Bálor said he survived the wrath of Samoa Joe. On this night, the submission specialist did the surviving, outlasting The Demon in a brutal Steel Cage Match to retain the NXT Championship.