August 22, 2020. Full Sail. Winter Park, Florida. NXT TakeOver 30. It was fitting NXT stalwart Dakota Kai would finally get an NXT Women's Championship Match at a TakeOver event during the landmark 30th installment. In the weeks leading up to this showdown, Kai had successfully gotten into champion Io Shirai's head. The Joshi standout claimed all Kai had done was piss her off. But was Io getting lost in her anger just setting her up to lose focus and mentally implode when defending the championship against Our Captain?

Shirai wasted no time at the sound of the bell, taking Kai down to the canvas and pounding away, up and over to the corner. Kai caught Shirai coming at her, smashing her face into the top turnbuckle. Io evaded offense with a cartwheel, followed with a dragon screw legwhip. Shirai worked Kai over in the corner with kicks followed by wrecking ball double knees. Kai dropped to the floor to smartly lure Shirai in the path of her six foot jacked understudy "Roadblock" Raquel Gonzalez. Kai snuck up behind Shirai, tossing her face first into the ring post.

Dakota rolled Io back into the ring but only got a two on the cover. Kai went to work on Io's left arm, stretching it across the middle rope. Shirai caught a charging Dakota with a drop toe hold, sending her throat first to the second rope. Io went for the tiger feint kick but Kai ducked to the floor. Dakota caught Io's legs with a trip, spinning her around and pump kicking her head draped over the apron. Kai grabbed Io's left arm, and from the apron applied a legscissors, stretching it across the middle rope until she had to break on the count of four.

Shirai got up only to get struck to the canvas with another pump kick. Kai went for a cover but Io kicked out. Dakota sat over Io wrenching her left arm. Rather than let Shirai force a rope break, Kai went for a pin only getting two. Kai shrugged it off with a laugh, seeing that Io was caressing her left arm. The intended damage had been done. Kai boot choked Io against the top turnbuckle then continued to work over her left arm. Shirai countered a submission hold into a roll-up for two but Kai cut right through her comeback with a sliding clothesline.

Dakota went for a cover. Io kicked out, aggravating Kai who roughhouse-swat Shirai's arm then one more brutal to the back of her head. Kai went back to working the arm, applying a Fujiwara armbar. After managing to fight her way to her feet, Io armdragged Kai to break free. Kai shot back with a pump kick that Io evaded. The Shotei felled Kai to the canvas in a heap. Fighting through the pain inflicted to her left arm, Io delivered a flapjack that sent Kai slumping across the middle rope. Io waffled Kai with a one-armed tiger feint kick followed by a springboard dropkick.

Io victory-rolled through a standing switch and smashed Kai with a double stomp. Kai reversed an Irish whip, sending Io toward the ropes. Shirai slipped out to the apron. Kai followed, waistlocking Shirai intent on German suplexing her to the floor. Shirai hung onto the ropes so Kai switched things up, slipping off and trying to pull Io into powerbomb position. Io broke Dakota's grip double stomping Kai to the apron. Io went for a pin, only getting two. Not only did Kai kick out, she pulled Shirai's left arm into a painful tug for a moment.

Dakota taunted Io with feint kicks, shouting at Shirai to fight back. That just pissed Shirai off, inciting her to demand Kai continue. Kai retaliated with a nasty kick to the face. Io eat it, shooting to her feet and striking away relentlessly at The Captain. Io's comeback was snuffed out with the Scorpion Kick. Shirai slumped over to the corner, primed up for Kai to finish her with the Kaio-Kick. Kai charged but Io evaded the kick, grabbing Dakota for a German suplex. Kai countered with a roll-up, smashing Shirai back-of-head first into the bottom turnbuckle.

Shirai evaded the running facewash. Kai slumped down against the turnbuckle in anguish, getting smashed by three consecutive charging double knee strikes. Shirai stepped disrespectfully across Kai's chest en route to finish her off with Over the Moonsault. Kai cut her off at the top rope with a blow to the back. Dakota went up for a superplex but Io fought it off, dangling Kai from the top turnbuckle in prone position. Shirai crushed down on her chest with a most brutal double stomp that planted Kai to the canvas. Io went for a pin but Kai kicked out at two.

Io lifted Kai up for a tiger driver backbreaker. Kai wouldn't go, grabbing Shirai by the arm and wringing her skull into a nasty headbutt. Dakota didn't release her grip on Shirai, pulling her into an inverted Kairopractor. Kai went for a pin but Io kicked out at two. Dakota went back to the Fujiwara armbar on the left arm. Kai wrenched it in for every last bit, anguishing Shirai as she slowly worked her foot over the ropes to force a break. Shirai was worse for wear, seeking respite on the apron. Kai grabbed Shirai to her feet only to get staggered with a forearm smash.

Dakota cut Shirai's attempt at a second springboard dropkick off with a kick to the chest. Shirai slumped to her knees on the apron. Kai pulled her up and hurried her over for a turnbuckle smash. Io got a leg up, blocking it and instead smashing Kai head first. Dakota got quickly to her feet and cut Shirai off at the top rope with a kick to the left arm. Io slumped right down onto Kai's shoulders, struck down with a rope assisted Go to Kick. Dakota covered Io who got a foot on the rope just before the three. What the hell would it take to defeat The Genius of the Sky?

Shirai tried to reverse an Irish whip but Kai won out. Io avoided contact with the referee in the corner. Kai charged at Shirai for another Kaio-Kick but Io ducked out of the way, causing Dakota's kick to take out the referee. Io German suplexed Kai before crashing down on her with Over the Moonsault. The referee was down so couldn't register the count. Although I'm adamant Our Captain could have found a path to victory on her own, this was the perfect moment for a Raquel assist. Big Mami Cool would do just that, planting Shirai with the Chingona Bomb.

Raquel put Dakota on top Io before pulling the recovering referee over to make the count. Shirai kicked out just before three. I swear, if Raquel had been a tad faster on pulling the referee over this Chronicler thinks it would have been And New NXT Women's Champion Dakota Kai. But fear not, The Captain still had fight left. She lifted Io onto her shoulders for another Go to Kick. But as Kai brought her over her head, Shirai reversed her to the canvas into a crossface. Kai fought free, rolling through but Shirai kept her grip and smashed Dakota's face with a V-Trigger.

Dakota slumped to the floor, staggering senseless from the impact of that strike. Raquel checked on her. Shirai leapt to the top rope and took out both Kai and Gonzalez with an Orihara Moonsault. Io rolled Kai back into the ring before ascending from the apron to the top rope one final time on that night. Seconds later, Io Shirai crashed down on Our Captain with Over the Moonsault. The referee registered the three count. And still NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai.

Raquel Gonzalez didn't take kindly to the result, attacking Shirai as she began her celebration. The thorn in the side of Dakota Kai known as Rhea Ripley came out to put a stop to the attack, coming face-to-face with Raquel in an imposing showdown. Our battle-torn Captain encouraged Raquel to save her fight for another day.

Dakota Kai lost this match, however she wasn't going to relinquish her quest to become NXT Women's Champion. It was a splendid fight... no, it was a fucking war. Kai (as Evie) and Io Shirai fought each other in Japan. The love they shared for Kairi Sane brought them together as friends and briefly tag team partners in NXT. Championship gold pit them against each other as rivals. That rivalry would continue on-and-off for some time, however the battles they had with each other and respect earned would someday reignite their bonds of friendship.

Additional Information | NXT Women's Champion Io Shirai defeated Dakota Kai (17:14) at WWE NXT TakeOver 30 on August 22, 2020 at Full Sail in Winter Park, Florida.