| NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day | |||
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| Promotion | WWE | ||
| Brand | NXT | ||
| Date | February 14, 2021 | ||
| City | Orlando,Florida | ||
| Venue | Capitol Wrestling Center | ||
| Attendance | 0 (behind closed doors)[a] | ||
| WWE event chronology | |||
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| NXT TakeOver chronology | |||
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| Vengeance chronology | |||
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NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a 2021professional wrestlingevent produced byWWE. It was the 33rdNXT TakeOver, as well as the ninthVengeance, and it took place on February 14, 2021, from theCapitol Wrestling Center, hosted at theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida. The event aired viapay-per-view (PPV) andlivestreaming, marking the first Vengeance to air on theWWE Network, and exclusively featured wrestlers from the promotion'sNXTbrand division. The event revived WWE's Vengeance PPV name, thus was the first Vengeance held since2011. The event's name is also a play onValentine's Day, as the event was held on the holiday. This was also the final NXT TakeOver event and only Vengeance to air on the American version of the WWE Network before it moved toPeacock in March. It was also the final Vengeance to air on PPV, as thefollowing year's event was held as atelevision special. While the2023 event returned to livestreaming, NXT's major events as of the 2022 calendar year no longer air on PPV.
Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event,Finn Bálor defeatedPete Dunne to retain theNXT Championship. In other prominent matches,MSK (Nash Carter andWes Lee) defeatedGrizzled Young Veterans (James Drake andZack Gibson) to win the Men'sDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, while in the opening bout,Dakota Kai andRaquel González defeatedEmber Moon andShotzi Blackheart to win the inaugural Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Vengeance Day also marked the WWE return ofLA Knight, who previously performed as Slate Randall from 2013 to 2014 and was known as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling.
NXT TakeOver was a series ofprofessional wrestlingevents that began in May 2014, asWWE'sNXTbrand held its secondWWE Network-exclusive event, billed asTakeOver.[1] In subsequent months, the "TakeOver" moniker became the brand used by WWE for all of its major NXT events. While originally exclusive to the WWE Network, NXT TakeOver events also became available on traditionalpay-per-view (PPV) beginning withTakeOver 31 in October 2020.[2]
Announced on January 6, 2021, Vengeance Day was scheduled as the 33rd NXT TakeOver event. It revived WWE's oldVengeance pay-per-view, which had been produced annually from 2001 to 2007 with a one-off show in 2011. In 2021, WWE resurrected Vengeance as an NXT TakeOver event, making it the ninth Vengeance, the first since 2011, the first brand-exclusive Vengeance since 2006, and the first Vengeance tolivestream on the WWE Network in addition to traditional PPV. The name of the event was also a play onValentine's Day, as the event was held on February 14, 2021, the same day as the holiday.[3][4] The official theme song for the event was "Obey" byBring Me the Horizon featuringYungblud.[5]
As a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from abehind closed doors set. NXT's programming was initially held at NXT's home base ofFull Sail University inWinter Park, Florida. In October 2020, NXT's events were moved to theWWE Performance Center inOrlando, Florida, featuring the "Capitol Wrestling Center" setup, an homage to theCapitol Wrestling Corporation, the predecessor to WWE. Like theWWE ThunderDome utilized forRaw andSmackDown's programming, LED boards were placed around the Performance Center so that fans could attend virtually, while additionally, friends and family members of the wrestlers were in attendance, along with a limited number of actual live fans, divided from each other by plexiglass walls.[6][7]
The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayedheroes,villains, orless distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program,NXT.[8][9]
On the February 3 episode ofNXT, after weeks of setting his sights on theNXT Championship,Pete Dunne demanded defending championFinn Bálor give him a title match. Bálor then came to the ring and told Dunne he would get his match at Vengeance Day.Men's Royal Rumble winnerEdge then came to the ring. He spoke about how seeing the drive, passion, and focus on wrestling in NXT helped motivate him to make his comeback. He said he had never held the NXT Championship and told Bálor and Dunne that he would be watching their match at Vengeance Day, and regardless of who won, it may help him decide which world championship he would challenge for atWrestleMania 37.[10]
In January 2021, the sixthDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was announced,[11] and for the first time, a women's version was also announced.[12] The finals of both the men's and women's tournaments were scheduled for Vengeance Day.[10]
AtTakeOver: WarGames in December 2020,Toni Storm's team came out victorious againstNXT Women's ChampionIo Shirai's team in aWarGames match.[13] On the December 9 episode ofNXT, while Storm was being interviewed, Shirai andEmber Moon attacked her.[14] Two weeks later, Shirai called out Storm, but when the latter did not show up,Mercedes Martinez attacked Shirai from behind.[15] On the January 20, 2021 episode, Shirai caused Martinez and Storm to lose in the first round of the inaugural women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.[16] The following week, Shirai and Storm brawled, and Martinez got involved, but Storm stood tall in the end.[17] On January 29, atriple threat match between Storm, Martinez, and Shirai for the title was scheduled for Vengeance Day.[18]
On the December 16 episode ofNXT, during a tag team match,NXT North American ChampionJohnny Gargano shovedKushida off the apron, causing Gargano's team to win.[19] AtNXT: New Year's Evil on January 6, 2021, Kushida pinned Gargano in a tag team match.[12] The following week, after Gargano won his match, Gargano attacked his opponent until Kushida made the save. Kushida then stated that he would be coming for the NXT North American Championship.[20] On the January 20 episode, Kushida pinned Gargano in a first round match of the 2021 Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.[16] Two weeks later, Gargano and Kushida brawled backstage, and a title match between the two was scheduled for Vengeance Day.[10]
| Role: | Name: |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Vic Joseph |
| Wade Barrett | |
| Beth Phoenix | |
| Spanish commentators | Carlos Cabrera |
| Marcelo Rodríguez | |
| Ring announcer | Alicia Taylor |
| Referees | Drake Wuertz |
| Darryl Sharma | |
| D. A. Brewer | |
| Tom Castor | |
| Interviewer | McKenzie Mitchell |
| Pre-show panel | Sam Roberts |
| Wade Barrett | |
| Brandon Walker |
The pay-per-view opened with the finals of the first-ever women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic between the team of Ember Moon andShotzi Blackheart and the team ofDakota Kai andRaquel González. The match was fast-paced and largely competitive throughout; only Kai was isolated by the opposing tag team for any prolonged stretch, though she was eventually able to tag in González. Kai hit theKai-Ro-Practor for a nearfall, as did Blackheart with her signature finishing senton. Kai and González also utilized a double-team version of Kai'sGo 2 Kick signature maneuver, which involves elevating the opponent before dropping them and kicking them in the face as they fall. The end of the match came when González tossed Moon from the entrance ramp, enabling her and Kai to focus on Blackheart. González performed theChingona Bomb on Blackheart, and both she and Kai made the cover for the decisive pinfall. This made Kai and González the tournament champions and recipients of a future opportunity at theWWE Women's Tag Team Championship.[5]
Next came the NXT North American Championship match, with the champion Johnny Gargano defending against Kushida. Kushida held the offensive advantage for the majority of the match, targeting Gargano's left arm. This both set up Kushida'sHoverboard Lock finisher and impaired the left-handed Gargano from executing normal offence like punches and chops. Gargano in turn was able work over Kushida's head and neck to set up his own finisher, theOne Final Beat. In the finishing sequence, Kushida hit a running kick to Gargano's arm while the two were on the entrance ramp (which, in contrast to most WWE events, was level with the ring apron) and locked in the Hoverboard Lock in the ring. Gargano managed to stand and entangle Kushida's neck in the ropes, forcing him to release the hold. Gargano then hitOne Final Beat twice - first from the inside of the ring to the entrance ramp, and secondly from the ramp to the inside of the ring, successfully securing the victory and retaining the championship.[5]
MSK, the team ofNash Carter andWes Lee, then faced theGrizzled Young Veterans, the team ofJames Drake andZack Gibson, in the finals of the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The match was fast-paced and full of innovative spots, including the Veterans performing a version of theRoad Warriors'Doomsday Device outside the ring as Gibson held Carter on his shoulders as Drake dove through the ropes to perform a clothesline and knock him down. Drake also performed a 450 splash, noted as a maneuver not often utilized by the "no nonsense" team, for a nearfall. Though the Veterans isolated Carter for large portions of the match, he eventually tagged in Lee and the two performed some double-team maneuvers of their own, including an aided standing moonsault where Carter jumped clean over a crouching Drake to land on Gibson. The finish came when the Veterans attempted to perform theirTicket to Mayhem tandem finisher on Carter, only for Lee to break it up. He then tagged himself into the match and MSK performed an elevated corkscrew blockbuster onto Drake, this move earning the pinfall to make them tournament champions and earn a future match for theNXT Tag Team Championship.[5]
The triple threat match for the NXT Women's Championship followed, champion Io Shirai defending against Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm. Martinez was the aggressor early in the match, beginning her assault on her opponents before ring introductions were even made. The match kept a high pace throughout, and all three women hit their finishers. Shirai also executed a dive off the rigging for some of the stage lights onto both opponents on the arena floor. Another notable spot featured Martinez executing a release German suplex from the top rope to Storm, only to become entangled in the ropes herself and allow Shirai to hit her in the "tree of woe" position with a diving double foot stop. Shortly after hitting herStorm Zero finisher on Martinez for a nearfall, Storm (who seldom uses aerial maneuvers) followed with a top rope diving headbutt. As she went for the cover, Shirai hit her signatureOver the Moon-sault on both opponents, pinning Martinez to win the match and retain the championship.[5]
The main event for the NXT Championship between the champion Finn Bálor and challenger Pete Dunne followed, the first time the two had ever wrestled in any sort of match together, let alone one-on-one. Dunne repeatedly used joint manipulation on Bálor, splitting his fingers and bending his wrist in unnatural positions. He came close to winning the championship on multiple occasions, including executing his finisher,The Bitter End, for a nearfall. He attempted to use the move a second time, only for Bálor to reverse it into a version of his own1916 finisher, also for a nearfall. At the finish, Bálor performed aCoup de Grâce and segued it into a standard version of the1916 to earn the pinfall and retain the championship.[5]
After the match, Dunne's stablemates (andNXT Tag Team Champions)Danny Burch andOney Lorcan rushed the ring and assaulted Bálor, who had little capacity to fight back after a grueling championship bout. After a few moments,The Undisputed Era (represented byAdam Cole,Roderick Strong, and Bálor's recent rivalKyle O'Reilly) ran in to fend them off. As Cole and Strong stared Dunne, Burch, and Lorcan away from the ring, O'Reilly helped Bálor to his feet and it appeared the show would conclude with the four of them standing in the ring together. Cole then turnedheel by executing a superkick on Bálor, the champion immediately falling to the mat. As O'Reilly began to protest, Cole superkicked him as well, leaving him prone as well, then left the ring. The show went off the air with Cole storming away from the ring and Strong standing in the ring next to the fallen Bálor and O'Reilly, looking back and forth between the two sides.[5][21]
Wrestling journalistDave Meltzer ofWrestling Observer Newsletter was highly positive toward each of the event's matches, giving 4 stars to the women's tag team match, 4.75 stars to theNXT North American Championship match, 4.5 stars to the men's tag team match, 3.75 stars to the women's triple threat, and 4.5 stars to the main event.[22] The event also received a 10.0 "Virtually Perfect" rating from Kevin Pantoja of411Mania.[23]
Kyle O'Reilly opened the following episode ofNXT, demanding an explanation from Adam Cole. Roderick Strong emerged, trying to play peacemaker, which O'Reilly didn't accept. Finn Bálor also appeared in this segment, blaming O'Reilly for Cole's attack on him. The three were forced into partnership in the night's main event against Pete Dunne, Danny Burch, and Oney Lorcan, a match they lost after further sneak attacks by Cole.[24] The following week, Cole appeared to express remorse for his actions and a desire to reconcile with Strong, only to low blow him and rip Strong's Undisputed Eradog tags from his neck, cementing his heel turn and split from what remained of the group.[25] For his match with Bálor on March 3, Strong made his ring entrance to different music and without any Undisputed Era logos or colors on his gear.[26] For his own match with the NXT Champion the following week, Cole did enter to the familiar Undisputed Era theme and with Undisputed Era-tinged wrestling gear, having claimed that the group would only die when he said so and that by attacking O'Reilly and Strong he had merely cut dead weight. At the conclusion of the match, O'Reilly appeared and ripped Cole's Undisputed Era armband off.[27] On March 24, during the contract signing for theirunsanctioned match atTakeOver: Stand & Deliver, both men spoke of the group in the past tense, suggesting it had finally become defunct.[28]
MSK and the team of Dakota Kai and Raquel González were presented with the trophy for winning their respective Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournaments later on February 17. It was originally announced that their respective tag team championship opportunities would both occur on March 3,[24] though Wes Lee was later discovered to have sustained a legitimate broken hand at TakeOver, thus delaying MSK's title shot.[29] WWE Women's Tag Team Champions (and NXT alumnae)Nia Jax andShayna Baszler made an appearance in the segment, trading promos with their upcoming opponents.[24] When the March 3 match ended in acontroversial finish favoring Jax and Baszler,[26] theNXT Women's Tag Team Championship was commissioned the week after, being first awarded to Kai and González by virtue of their Dusty Cup championship. However, afterwards, they were confronted by the runner-ups, Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon, setting up a title match between the two teams later that night, where Moon and Blackheart were victorious, ending Kai and González's reign at 56 minutes, the shortest reign in the title's history.[27] MSK's title shot would later be rescheduled for Night 1 of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.[28]
Toni Storm was also shown to have disrupted a photo shoot for Io Shirai, attacking the NXT Women's Champion.[24] The following week, she challenged Shirai to a one-on-one match for the championship after Shirai won her match, pointing out that Shirai did not defeat Storm herself at TakeOver and had in fact never done so. The match was made for March 10,[25] where Shirai retained.[27]
On January 25, 2021, WWE announced that the WWE Network would become exclusively distributed byPeacock in the United States as part of a new agreement withNBCUniversal, which at the time airedMonday Night Raw andNXT on theUSA Network. On March 18, the WWE Network became a premium channel under Peacock, with premium subscribers to the service receiving access to the WWE Network at no additional cost. As a result, Vengeance Day was the final NXT TakeOver, as well as the only Vengeance, to air on the American version of the WWE Network before it merged under Peacock.[30][31] After a brief transitional period, the standalone version of the WWE Network in the U.S. shut down on April 4, with future events only available via Peacock's WWE Network channel and traditional PPV. This did not affect other countries, which maintained the separate WWE Network service distributed by WWE.[32]
In September 2021, NXT was rebranded as NXT 2.0, returning the brand to its original function as WWE'sdevelopmental territory.[33] The NXT TakeOver series was subsequently discontinued.[34] Vengeance Day continued on as its own event, however, with the2022 event held as aspecial episode ofNXT instead of airing on PPV or via livestreaming. The 2022 event in turn established Vengeance Day as NXT's annual Valentine's event.[35] This was also the last Vengeance to air on PPV, as while the 2022 event was held as a television special, the2023 event returned to livestreaming, although not PPV, as beginning with the 2022 calendar year, NXT's major events no longer air on PPV, just livestreaming.
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[5] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dakota Kai andRaquel González defeatedEmber Moon andShotzi Blackheart bypinfall | Women'sDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals[36] Winners also received a futureWWE Women's Tag Team Championship match. | 17:40 | ||
| 2 | Johnny Gargano (c) defeatedKushida bypinfall | Singles match for theNXT North American Championship[37] | 24:51 | ||
| 3 | MSK (Nash Carter andWes Lee) defeatedGrizzled Young Veterans (James Drake andZack Gibson) bypinfall | Men'sDusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals[38] Winners also received a futureNXT Tag Team Championship match. | 18:26 | ||
| 4 | Io Shirai (c) defeatedMercedes Martinez andToni Storm bypinfall | Triple threat match for theNXT Women's Championship[39] | 12:13 | ||
| 5 | Finn Bálor (c) defeatedPete Dunne bypinfall | Singles match for theNXT Championship[40] | 25:24 | ||
| |||||
| First Round NXT and205 Live (January 13–January 22) | Quarterfinals NXT (January 27–February 3) | Semifinals NXT (February 10) | Final NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14) | ||||||||||||
| The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole andRoderick Strong) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Breezango (Tyler Breeze andFandango) | 11:57[20] | ||||||||||||||
| The Undisputed Era (Adam Cole and Roderick Strong) | 17:05[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Tommaso Ciampa andTimothy Thatchera | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Ariya Daivari andTony Nese | 8:16[41] | ||||||||||||||
| Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher | 11:37[43] | ||||||||||||||
| Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Kushida andLeon Ruff | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| The Way (Johnny Gargano andAustin Theory) | 14:46[16] | ||||||||||||||
| Kushida and Leon Ruff | 9:51[17] | ||||||||||||||
| Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel) | 7:58[20] | ||||||||||||||
| Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake andZack Gibson) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) | 18:26[5] | ||||||||||||||
| MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| MSK (Nash Carter andWes Lee) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Jake Atlas andIsaiah "Swerve" Scott | 8:36[20] | ||||||||||||||
| MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Drake Maverick and Killian Dain | 11:04[17] | ||||||||||||||
| August Grey and Curt Stallion | 10:01[42] | ||||||||||||||
| Drake Maverick andKillian Dain | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) | 9:34[43] | ||||||||||||||
| Lucha House Partyb (Gran Metalik andLince Dorado) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| Imperium (Fabian Aichner andMarcel Barthel) | 9:54[16] | ||||||||||||||
| Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado) | 6:23[10] | ||||||||||||||
| Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
| The Bollywood Boyz (Samir Singh andSunil Singh) | 9:45[42] | ||||||||||||||
| Legado Del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde andRaul Mendoza) | Pin | ||||||||||||||
a^ Ciampa and Thatcher replaced Ashante "Thee" Adonis and Desmond Troy after they were both (kayfabe) injured byKarrion Kross.
b^ Lucha House Party were guest participants.
| First Round NXT and205 Live (January 20–January 29) | Semifinals NXT (February 3–February 10) | Final NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day (February 14) | ||||||||||||
| Cora Jade andGigi Dolin | 5:56[41] | |||||||||||||
| The Way (Candice LeRae andIndi Hartwell) | Pinc | |||||||||||||
| The Way (Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell) | 14:19[43] | |||||||||||||
| Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Ember Moon andShotzi Blackheart | Sub | |||||||||||||
| Marina Shafir andZoey Stark | 7:52[44] | |||||||||||||
| Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart | 17:40[5] | |||||||||||||
| Dakota Kai and Raquel González | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Kacy Catanzaro andKayden Carter | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Mercedes Martinez andToni Storm | 9:27[16] | |||||||||||||
| Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter | 13:01[10] | |||||||||||||
| Dakota Kai and Raquel González | Pin | |||||||||||||
| Aliyah and Jessi Kamea | 5:56[17] | |||||||||||||
| Dakota Kai andRaquel González | Pin | |||||||||||||
c^ This was the very first women's match to be held on205 Live.