10 Awesome WWE Moments We Wish Had Happened Earlier

10. Crowning Io Shirai As The Ace Of NXT’s Women’s Division

Io Shirai is currently the undisputed highlight of weekly NXT television. During the brand's worst year to date in terms of creative booking and in ring work, Shirai has been a breath of fresh air with her consistently exceptional matches and sensational NXT Women's Championship reign.

Since her victory over Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley at TakeOver: In Your House, Shirai has had scintillating defences against Ripley, Dakota Kai and Candice LeRae while providing the women's division with essential stability after a hectic few months. She is exceptional and should continue holding the title for a long time as she's got even more potential as the world champion.

However, it's a shame that her popularity and talents as a babyface champion weren't capitalised on last year during her feud with Shayna Baszler, where she seemed to be the perfect candidate to send off Baszler after her two epic reigns with the women's title. Instead of going with Shirai then, she lost twice to Baszler before turning heel against Candice LeRae, which admittedly resulted in the best NXT match of last year. Still, it feels like a missed opportunity, especially given the pandemic, that the trigger wasn't pulled earlier.