Courtesy of WWE
Io Shirai defends the NXT women’s championship on Sunday at TakeOver: Vengeance Day in a triple-threat match against Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez. The reigning champion since June, the 30-year-old Shirai continues to find ways to elevate her work in NXT.
Shirai’s work over the past year has been magnificent, shining especially bright in a bout this past summer against Sasha Banks. Shirai is upholding an incredibly high standard, as the women of NXT have produced some of WWE’s most compelling in-ring content over the past five years. Sunday marks an opportunity to build two new opponents, with an emerging star in Storm and an established veteran in Martinez.