WWE NXT Takeover Vengeance Day Results: Pete Dunne vs. Finn Balor [NXT Championship Match]

After two stellar title defenses against Kyle O’Reilly, Finn Balor has another hard challenge ahead of him tonight in Pete Dunne. Dunne is one of the most proven champions in modern WWE, with his run as NXT UK Champion lasting 685 days. He’s tough as nails, and if anyone is cut from the same cloth as Finn Balor, it’s Pete Dunne.

Dunne has been brawling with Balor on the road to this show, and always seeming to get the better of him. Tonight though, he will learn exactly why Balor is a two time NXT Champion, as Balor truly shines in big matches. Balor isn’t going to pass the torch to Dunne, he’s going to drop him like all the rest.

Excellent Mat Wrestling From Both Sides

All through the pre-match introductions, Balor & Dunne stared daggers at each other. They’d be wary of the initial lockups, with Dunne going after the left arm of Balor, which he knows is not at 100%. Balor fought off the attacks, and went after the arm of Dunne instead. Dunne was taken to the mat, but remained competitive as they wrestled it out.

Neither man wanted to make the first mistake in this one, resulting in a stalemate as they were equals thus far. Balor got a series of headlock takeovers, before hitting a shoulder tackle, but Dunne took him down into a headscissor, pulling his own leg for extra leverage.

Dunne would look to break the fingers of Balor, working on some joint manipulation before moving into a triangle choke. Balor fought off the hold which transitioned into an armbar, but the wrist was attacked again. Dunne applied a deep armbar with the fingers bent back, and Balor barely rolled out.

Balor had a chink in his armor, and Dunne was not letting up on that. The arm had a laser focused on it, and Balor had a knuckle grinded into his armpit. Balor finally got free and tied up the legs, applying a figure four leg lock in the end. This one was a technical wrestling focused war, and Balor chose the point of attack on the leg of Dunne.

Fists & Feet Start To Fly

Dunne fought free by punching Balor in the ear, moving into a chokehold while looking for the left wrist, before just dropping him on his head. A hard slap to the chest nailed Balor, before he trapped the knee of Dunne on the ropes and stomped the knee down. Dunne countered a submission attempt into a pinfall, then hit an enziguri before being run through with a lariat.

Balor dropped some heavy stomps and a knee to the beck, before trapping the knee. Dunne would be mauled on the mat, and Balor applied a tight STF. Balor forgot that Dunne knew how to attack fingers, which was how he broke the hold, slamming the fingers down into the mat.

Balor got pissed off after this, and would choke Dunne in the corner, before nailing some running chops. Dunne fired back with some chops of his own, and tried for the moonsault dodge but the knee didn’t hold up. Balor hit a low dropkick and set up the Final Cut, before Dunne tossed him aside with an armdrag, stomped him into the mat and nailed a powerbomb.

Balor would have his elbow set up and stomped, before being sent off the ropes for a snap German Suplex. The fingers were then stomped, but Balor kicked the leg of Dunne away from the mat. A backstabber into Final Cut dropped Dunne, who was nailed with the shotgun dropkick. Balor went for Coup De Grace, and was caught in a triangle choke.

Pete Dunne & Finn Balor Are Equals

Trapped in the middle of the ring, Balor took heavy elbows to the head as he reached for the ropes, before Dunne rolled back away. Balor inched to the ropes, and got his foot on the bottom as Balor was basically out cold. Dunne pulled him to his feet, but he was dead wait. Balor woke up when asked if he could continue.

He’d counter Bitter End into a 1916 attempt, before having to instead apply the Abdominal Stretch. Dunne broke the hold by breaking the fingers of Balor. Balor fought back with some stomps, but Dunne kept finger control as he set up and nailed Bitter End, getting a two count. This makes Balor one of the only men to kick out of this move in WWE, which is usually a kill shot.

Balor once again had his hands stomped, was kicked in the head, but countered a powerbomb into a DDT. Dunne cut off the shotgun dropkick, before taking a pele kick. Balor countered Bitter End into the reverse 1916, but Dunne kept finger control. Dunne had the hurt ankle stomped, attacked the hands again, and had his back double stomped. Balor pulled the mouthpiece of Dunne out, and kicked him right in the face. Coup De Grace nailed flush, and 1916 was next. Dunne was dropped on his head, and this one was done.

Finn Balor is better than he ever was before during this reign, and is now three for three with incredible defenses. Pete Dunne looked like an absolute beast throughout, needing to be hit with a series of finisher level moves to go down. The slow pace is unlike anything you’ll see on the main roster WWE, and is what makes men like Balor & Dunne so special. Match Rating: 4.25/5 (**** ¼)

After the match, Balor was attacked by Lorcan & Burch, but Undisputed Era made the save. There’s a lot of respect that’s been built up here, and just as it looked like Balor might officially join up, Adam Cole nailed the superkick on Balor. O’Reilly took exception to this, and got rocked as well. Adam Cole has betrayed the Undisputed Era, and left Roderick Strong confused as ever.

Is Adam Cole setting up one last big match before leaving NXT? Was Balor about to join this faction? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below.

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