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#2 Io Shirai wins clean at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
If WWE want to continue Shirai's run atop NXT Women's division, she could very well pick up a clean win at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Gonzalez will provide the toughest obstacle to date for the Genius of the Sky.
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A change could be in order, and that's fine. But due to both the length and the quality of her title reign, Shirai could very well cleanly pin Gonzalez and retain her belt. The Genius of the Sky has proven to be one of the best NXT Women's Champions in history.
Her reign could keep going, especially with a certain lady with a cute dog coming to town on the April 13th edition of NXT. Debuts are constants after big PPVs, and few are bigger this year than NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
Shirai has dispatched most of the women's roster in NXT, including Kai, Blackheart, LeRae, Mercedes Martinez, and Toni Storm. Most of those wins were definitive, but Gonzalez is a different monster.
WWE babyfaces usually have to slay monsters to keep their mystique. It's part of the reason why Braun Strowman has only had one major title run in WWE. He's booked primarily as more of an obstacle and threat to be overcome rather than a titleholder.
The relentless nature by which Shirai went after Gonzalez on the go-home episode prior to NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver highlights Shirai's drive. She isn't taking the challenge lightly, especially since she made the challenge to Gonzalez. How many other Champions who are much smaller than their competitors have consistently sought out their challengers to fight?
When she won the title in the first place, Shirai defeated both Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair. It was a triple threat to protect Flair, but at that time, she defeated two of the top women in all of WWE.
That isn't something done lightly. While it was done for another quick title swap to have Flair focus more on RAW, Shirai can still claim to have defeated The Queen. Heading into NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver, Shirai has had very few roadblocks during her title reign.
Because of that and the fact that she's cleaned out much of the division, Shriai's reign could very well continue past NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. She's long been considered one of the best wrestlers in the world, and this title run has proven that to be true.
