10 HUGE WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Predictions You Need To Know

6. Io Shirai (c) Vs. Raquel Gonzalez

Finn Bálor
WWE

TakeOver's real main event regardless of if it's instead being used to prop up the first of two nights of action, the most prestigious title in the entire company is set to elevate a sure-thing after months of careful and generally excellent execution.

Io Shirai Vs Raquel Gonzalez is why we we all watch this. Gonzalez' charge through the ranks since last summer has been exhilarating, matching her improvement in-ring along the way. Quietly stepping out from Dakota Kai's shadow (the pair have become the first after countless attempts over the last few decades to actually warrant the "Diesel and Shawn" comparisons), she's become the undeniable end boss for 'The Genius Of The Sky'.

Shirai has merited a feud like this for months. Too often, it's just been about the assured quality of the match rather than the meat of the angle, but this has proffered both before the bell. Hopes and expectations are high, but so too should be the outcomes. The booking has worked almost as hard as the wrestlers inevitably will - this should be amazing.

Winner - Raquel Gonzalez

 
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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett