NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day was a 2021 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE, held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's NXT brand division. It was simultaneously the 33rd NXT TakeOver event, NXT's inaugural Vengeance Day, and WWE's ninth Vengeance overall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event took place on February 14, 2021, from the Capitol Wrestling Center, a bio-secure bubble that was hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The event revived WWE's Vengeance PPV name, but altered as Vengeance Day, thus it was the first Vengeance held since 2011. The event's altered name was also a play on Valentine's Day, as the event was held on the holiday, with Vengeance Day subsequently becoming an annual event for NXT, although this was the only one held as a TakeOver event as the TakeOver series was discontinued after TakeOver 36 in August. This would also be the first Vengeance air on the WWE Network. It was subsequently the final TakeOver event and only Vengeance to air on the American version of the WWE Network before it merged under Peacock in April, and it was also the final Vengeance to air on traditional PPV, as the following year's event was held as a television special, and although the 2023 event returned to livestreaming, WWE ceased broadcasting NXT's major events on PPV after WarGames in December.
Five matches were contested at the event. In the main event, Finn Bálor defeated Pete Dunne to retain the NXT Championship. In other prominent matches, MSK (Nash Carter and Wes Lee) defeated Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson) to win the Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, while in the opening bout, Dakota Kai and Raquel González defeated Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart to win the inaugural Women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Vengeance Day also marked the WWE return of LA Knight, who previously performed as Slate Randall from 2013 to 2014 and was known as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling (now Total Nonstop Action Wrestling).
Production
Background TakeOver was a series of professional wrestling events that began in May 2014, as WWE's NXT brand held its second WWE Network-exclusive livestreaming event, billed as TakeOver. The "TakeOver" moniker subsequently became the branding for all of NXT's major events held periodically throughout the year. While originally exclusive to the WWE Network, NXT TakeOver events also became available on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) beginning with TakeOver 31 in October 2020.
Announced on January 6, 2021, Vengeance Day was scheduled as the 33rd TakeOver event. It revived WWE's old Vengeance name, which was an annual PPV event held from 2001 to 2007 followed by one event in 2011. In 2021, WWE reinstated Vengeance as an NXT TakeOver event, making it the ninth Vengeance, the first since 2011, the first brand-exclusive Vengeance since 2006, and the first Vengeance to livestream on the WWE Network in addition to traditional PPV. The name of the event was also a play on Valentine's Day, as the event was held on February 14, 2021, the same day as the holiday. The official theme song for the event was "Obey" by Bring Me the Horizon featuring Yungblud.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. NXT's programming was initially held at NXT's home venue at the time, Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. In October 2020, NXT's events were moved to the Capitol Wrestling Center, a bio-secure bubble that was hosted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Like the WWE ThunderDome utilized for Raw and SmackDown's programming, LED boards were placed around the Performance Center so that fans could attend virtually, while additionally and unlike the ThunderDome, friends and family members of the wrestlers were in attendance, along with a limited number of actual live fans, divided from each other by plexiglass walls.
Storylines The card included matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the NXT brand, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television program, NXT.
On the February 3 episode of NXT, after weeks of setting his sights on the NXT Championship, Pete Dunne demanded Finn Bálor to give him a title match. Bálor then came to the ring and told Dunne he would get his match at Vengeance Day. Men's Royal Rumble winner Edge then came to the ring. He spoke about how seeing the drive, passion, and focus on wrestling in NXT helped motivate him to make his comeback. He said he had never held the NXT Championship and told Bálor and Dunne that he would be watching their match at Vengeance Day, and regardless of who won, it may help him decide which world championship he would challenge for at WrestleMania 37.
In January 2021, the sixth Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic was announced, and for the first time, a women's version was also announced. The finals of both the men's and women's tournaments were scheduled for Vengeance Day.
At TakeOver: WarGames in December 2020, Toni Storm's team came out victorious against NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai's team in a WarGames match. On the December 9 episode of NXT, while Storm was being interviewed, Shirai and Ember Moon attacked her. Two weeks later, Shirai called out Storm, but when the latter did not show up, Mercedes Martinez attacked Shirai from behind. On the January 20, 2021, episode, Shirai caused Martinez and Storm to lose in the first round of the inaugural women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The following week, Shirai and Storm brawled, and Martinez got involved, but Storm stood tall in the end. On January 29, a triple threat match between Storm, Martinez, and Shirai for the title was scheduled for Vengeance Day.
On the December 16 episode of NXT, during a tag team match, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano shoved Kushida off the apron, causing Gargano's team to win. At NXT: New Year's Evil on January 6, 2021, Kushida pinned Gargano in a tag team match. The following week, after Gargano won his match, Gargano attacked his opponent until Kushida made the save. Kushida then stated that he would be coming for the NXT North American Championship. On the January 20 episode, Kushida pinned Gargano in a first round match of the 2021 Men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Two weeks later, Gargano and Kushida brawled backstage, and a title match between the two was scheduled for Vengeance Day.
Event + Other on-screen personnelRole:Name:CommentatorsVic JosephWade BarrettBeth PhoenixSpanish commentatorsCarlos CabreraMarcelo RodríguezRing announcerAlicia TaylorRefereesDrake WuertzDarryl SharmaD. A. BrewerTom CastorInterviewerMcKenzie MitchellPre-show panelSam RobertsWade BarrettBrandon Walker
Preliminary matches The event opened with the finals of the first-ever women's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic between the team of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart and the team of Dakota Kai and Raquel González. The match was fast-paced and largely competitive throughout; only Kai was isolated by the opposing tag team for any prolonged stretch, though she was eventually able to tag in González. Kai hit the Kai-Ro-Practor for a nearfall, as did Blackheart with her signature finishing senton. Kai and González also utilized a double-team version of Kai's Go 2 Kick signature maneuver, which involves elevating the opponent before dropping them and kicking them in the face as they fall. The end of the match came when González tossed Moon from the entrance ramp, enabling her and Kai to focus on Blackheart. González performed the Chingona Bomb on Blackheart, and both she and Kai made the cover for the decisive pinfall. This made Kai and González the tournament champions and recipients of a future opportunity at the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship.
Next came the NXT North American Championship match, with the champion Johnny Gargano defending against Kushida. Kushida held the offensive advantage for the majority of the match, targeting Gargano's left arm. This both set up Kushida's Hoverboard Lock finisher and impaired the left-handed Gargano from executing normal offence like punches and chops. Gargano in turn was able work over Kushida's head and neck to set up his own finisher, the One Final Beat. In the finishing sequence, Kushida hit a running kick to Gargano's arm while the two were on the entrance ramp (which, in contrast to most WWE events, was level with the ring apron) and locked in the Hoverboard Lock in the ring. Gargano managed to stand and entangle Kushida's neck in the ropes, forcing him to release the hold. Gargano then hit One Final Beat twice, first from the inside of the ring to the entrance ramp, and secondly from the ramp to the inside of the ring, successfully securing the victory and retaining the championship.
MSK, the team of Nash Carter and Wes Lee, then faced the Grizzled Young Veterans, the team of James Drake and Zack Gibson, in the finals of the men's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The match was fast-paced and full of innovative spots, including the Veterans performing a version of the Road Warriors's Doomsday Device outside the ring as Gibson held Carter on his shoulders as Drake dove through the ropes to perform a clothesline and knock him down. Drake also performed a 450 splash, noted as a maneuver not often utilized by the "no nonsense" team, for a nearfall. Though the Veterans isolated Carter for large portions of the match, he eventually tagged in Lee and the two performed some double-team maneuvers of their own, including an aided standing moonsault where Carter jumped clean over a crouching Drake to land on Gibson. The finish came when the Veterans attempted to perform their Ticket to Mayhem tandem finisher on Carter, only for Lee to break it up. He then tagged himself into the match and MSK performed an elevated corkscrew blockbuster onto Drake, this move earning the pinfall to make them tournament champions and earn a future match for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
The triple threat match for the NXT Women's Championship followed, champion Io Shirai defending against Mercedes Martinez and Toni Storm. Martinez was the aggressor early in the match, beginning her assault on her opponents before ring introductions were even made. The match kept a high pace throughout, and all three women hit their finishers. Shirai also executed a dive off the rigging for some of the stage lights onto both opponents on the arena floor. Another notable spot featured Martinez executing a release German suplex from the top rope to Storm, only to become entangled in the ropes herself and allow Shirai to hit her in the "tree of woe" position with a diving double foot stop. Shortly after hitting her Storm Zero finisher on Martinez for a nearfall, Storm (who seldom uses aerial maneuvers) followed with a top rope diving headbutt. As she went for the cover, Shirai hit her signature Over the Moon-sault on both opponents, pinning Martinez to win the match and retain the championship.
Main event The main event for the NXT Championship between the champion Finn Bálor and challenger Pete Dunne followed, the first time the two had ever wrestled in any sort of match together, let alone one-on-one. Dunne repeatedly used joint manipulation on Bálor, splitting his fingers and bending his wrist in unnatural positions. He came close to winning the championship on multiple occasions, including executing his finisher, The Bitter End, for a nearfall. He attempted to use the move a second time, only for Bálor to reverse it into a version of his own 1916 finisher, also for a nearfall. At the finish, Bálor performed a Coup de Grâce and segued it into a standard version of the 1916 to earn the pinfall and retain the championship.