Shayna Baszler Retains NXT Women's Title at NXT TakeOver: New York

Shayna Baszler defeated Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Kairi Sane in a Fatal 4-Way match at NXT TakeOver: New York on Friday to retain the NXT Women's Championship.

Belair was in a position to win after hitting a double KOD on Shirai and Sane. In actuality, she cleared the field for Baszler. The champion re-entered the ring to prevent Belair from getting a pinfall and locked her into the Kirifuda Clutch.

Belair tried frantically to break the hold, pulling Baszler's hair and scratching her face and trying to gouge her eyes, yet nothing worked. Unable to reach the bottom rope, Belair had little choice but to tap out.

The odds were stacked against Baszler, as NXT general manager William Regal decided to put all three of her rivals in the title match at TakeOver after The Queen of Spades interrupted a No. 1 contender's match between Belair and Shirai.

Baszler choked out both Superstars and then put Sane to sleep when she attempted to intervene as well. After being informed that her actions would result in a Fatal 4-Way, Baszler was none too pleased.

All three challengers had plenty of history with Baszler entering Friday's match, and that was especially true of Belair, who faced Baszler in a singles match for the NXT Women's Championship at NXT TakeOver: Phoenix in January.

Baszler won that match due primarily to interference from Four Horsewomen stablemates Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, but Belair came close to winning on multiple occasions before passing out in the Kirifuda Clutch.

After Phoenix, Belair entered into a loose alliance with Shirai and Sane against Baszler, Duke and Shafir. That led to a six-woman tag team match between the two sides in which Shirai pinned Baszler and established herself as a potential title contender.

While Belair was on the winning side, she wasn't happy that Shirai was the one who got the pin, and that led to some tension between them.

The common goal of all three competitors wanting desperately to take down Baszler put the champ in a difficult situation. Even so, the challengers had to worry about Duke and Shafir, who seemed likely to get involved since there are no disqualifications in a Fatal 4-Way.

Many incredible female performers have come through NXT over the past several years, but it isn't a stretch to say that Baszler, Belair, Shirai and Sane are four of the best from an all-around perspective.

They all bring different talents to the table, and they meshed to put on what may have been one of the best Fatal 4-Way matches in NXT history.

Baszler continues to own the NXT women's division by virtue of her win, but any three of the women she beat Friday could emerge as a singular challenger moving forward, and there is no guarantee that her reign will stretch far beyond TakeOver: New York.

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