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#1 Kyle O'Reilly
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The main event of NXT TakeOver 31 was the most anticipated contest of this show. Both Finn Balor and Kyle O'Reilly seemed highly motivated coming in and are two of the most compelling superstars on the NXT brand. This made the WWE Universe look forward to this NXT Championship encounter and expect a Match of the Year candidate. That is exactly what they got.
The two men showed incredible chemistry with one another right off the bat in this closing match to NXT TakeOver 31. The match started slow, but picked up with each man trading control throughout. Finn Balor was able to lean more on the heel side, showing some overconfidence with his experience in major main events like this, but O'Reilly showed that he could more than live up to this stage with an engaging babyface performance.
This NXT TakeOver 31 main event featured hard-hitting offense, compelling sequences and some fantastic submissions for the entire 28-minute duration. The hard shots led to both men bleeding from the mouth with O'Reilly being the highlight with his excellent selling of his rib cage. This was a star-making performance for the Undisputed Era member. He proved himself to be a main eventer and top star for the NXT brand.
Despite the loss, Kyle O'Reilly made a statement here at NXT TakeOver 31. He is a future NXT Champion and can be a presence on the main roster to come. For those fans who have seen him before NXT, we knew this to be true. However, O'Reilly proved that he is here to stay without a shadow of a doubt in the biggest match of his WWE career.
