10 Rivalries That Will Define WWE In 2021
6. Io Shirai Vs. Mercedes Martinez
This is a feud that's already begun, with Mercedes Martinez being positioned as the next challenger for Io Shirai's NXT Women's Championship through attacks on NXT television. While Io Shirai has defeated so many opponents in her ridiculously good reign as champion, she's not defended her belt against an opponent with the experience of Mercedes Martinez.
Martinez is one of the most experienced and accomplished wrestlers in the world, a woman who has been putting on classic matches for over 20 years. She's never slowed down in her two decades of success in the industry, continously improving as a technical master and becoming one of the best psychological workers in the world. Her and Shirai working together will lead to utterly transcendent professional wrestling, as they are arguably the two best wrestlers on the entire brand and could easily work a 5 star classic in their sleep.
If booked correctly, it could be a classic pairing to rival Ember Moon vs Asuka and Sasha Banks vs Bayley as the best NXT women's feud of all time.
At the very least, it'll put over both women as essential cogs in the machine.