8 Ups And 4 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Toronto

6. Shirai Remade

One of the legit criticisms that can be levied against WWE is when they turn a wrestler from face to heel or vice-versa, very little actually changes. Sure, they might change their outfit and even their entrance music, but when the bell rings, it’s still the same person.

Io Shirai, however, has undergone a complete transformation of character. A technicolor superstar sporting a mask to the ring while bubbly music played, Shirai shed all of those to become a black-clad villainess with strobe lights and booming house music.

But inside the ring Saturday night, Io showed an aggressive side we’d rarely seen in NXT. She taunted Candice LaRae throughout the match, showed her up and preened about it, and attacked with more vicious moves (suplex on the table, Camel Clutch, Air Raid Crash, Koji Clutch to finish).

The result was a different Shirai than we’ve seen for the past year, which is what you really want when you have a heel turn, not like we get when Natalya or Big Show turn and the only difference is whether they smile for the fans or tell them to shut up.