Six Biggest Takeaways From NXT TakeOver 31

3. Santos Escobar Retains NXT Cruiserweight Championship

Vic Joseph made it clear that the title match between Santos Escobar and Isaiah “Swerve” Scott was the first NXT Cruiserweight Title match on the TakeOver stage. Clearly, this is a great first as both men sum up what Cruiserweight action is all about.

Escobar retained here, which should signal towards the end of this rivalry. Furthering that is the interference of Ashante “Thee” Adonis, who came to the aid of Swerve when Legado Del Fantasma tried to get involved.

He made it clear during a post-match interview that he wants Escobar. I can see this being a great method to convey what Adonis is all about. Then he could team with Swerve to deepen the brand’s tag division.

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2. Toni Storm Returns

NXT featured two major returns during the NXT Women’s Championship collision between Io Shirai and Candice LeRae. The match was great but it is the post-match angle that will have the fans talking.

Firstly, Toni Storm returned via the virtual screens to state she will be making her long-awaited return to the black and gold brand.

Storm is a former UK Women’s Champion and defeated Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic Tournament at WWE Evolution in 2018.

It will be nice to see this rematch! Furthermore, with the addition of Toni Storm, the NXT Women’s division is getting stacked and is looking to be one of WWE’s best… That is if the WWE Draft next week doesn’t swerve anything.

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1. Ember Moon Is Back In NXT

Finally, the other superstar that made her return to challenge Io Shirai was Ember Moon. This was a shocking surprise because there were rumours a few months back that her in-ring career was in jeopardy. Therefore, it was nice to see Moon behind the cryptic messages and riding a motorbike.

Ember Moon was getting nowhere on the main roster, being called up Raw after WrestleMania 34 and not having a proper storyline until her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Bayley at SummerSlam the following year. We basically haven’t seen her since.

Returning to NXT should ignite that passion in Ember Moon again and a match with Io Shirai could be match of the year in the making!

Do you agree with these Takeaways? Got any others? Let us know on Twitter!

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