5 things that must happen at WWE NXT TakeOver: 31

#3 Io Shirai retains the Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: 31

She said YES! 🏆@JohnnyGargano & @CandiceLeRae are VICTORIOUS over the CHAMPIONS on #WWENXT... but will they be victorious this Sunday at #NXTTakeOver? pic.twitter.com/vbpqUmL6yf

— WWE (@WWE) October 1, 2020

NXT booked a Battle Royal to determine who’d face Io Shirai for the Women’s Championship at NXT TakeOver: 31. While Battle Royal winners do not get much time to build a storyline against their opponent, NXT has done well to develop a story between Shirai and Candice LeRae.

On the go-home episode before NXT TakeOver: 31, LeRae and Johnny Gargano defeated the team of Shirai and Damian Priest. While The Garganos’ victory wasn’t clean, it has provided them with enough momentum heading into this match.

The Poison Pixie will likely resort to some more unfair means in this huge NXT Women’s Championship match, and this will probably make it a tough match for The Jodi Judas.

However, NXT must allow Shirai to outperform LeRae and retain her title after a hard-fought match. While LeRae is Championship material, WWE needs to continue building on Shirai’s reign and momentum as she is a megastar in the making.

😎🤘#WWENXT #NXTTakeOver@ArcherOfInfamy pic.twitter.com/V5OBrN4EA4

— 紫雷イオ、Io Shirai (@shirai_io) October 1, 2020

A good performance against someone like LeRae at NXT TakeOver: 31 will help her gain a lot more credibility. NXT could even choose to continue the rivalry between Shirai and LeRae for a few more months.