The Pirate Princess and The EST of NXT square off days before their NXT Women's Championship Fatal 4-Way Match at TakeOver: New York. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

The raging fire between Bianca Belair and Kairi Sane came alive in a rugged battle inside Full Sail Live, combusting for all to see – including their opponents at TakeOver: New York.  

Throwing hands immediately after the opening bell, the two were seemingly blowing off some steam before they redirect their focus to the NXT Women’s Title in two days at TakeOver. Out the gate, Belair displayed her incredible athleticism, reversing a headlock and roll-up pin by Sane for a standing moonsault that was followed by a shoulder block. But what makes Sane so threatening is her ability to bounce back, not to mention that mean streak she developed over the summer. After Belair tenderized her abdomen with an excruciating abdominal stretch, The Pirate Princess recharged enough strength to sync in an octopus stretch that left her opponent reaching for the ropes.

The sheer power of The EST of NXT, however, was indomitable. As Sane went airborne for a crossbody, she was caught midair like a fly in a spider web and tossed across the canvas with a fallaway slam. Later, Belair dropped Sane with an elevated double chicken wing hold to send the match into its final seconds, before the reigning NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler and her fellow MMA Horsewomen, Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, crashed the party.

While the menacing trio attacked Sane and Belair, Io Shirai arrived to even the odds, which prompted the entire NXT Women’s locker room to storm the ring to separate the competitors before their scheduled bout in the Big Apple. With tension thicker than a line at Disney World, the presence of the entire roster didn’t stop Belair, Shirai and Sane from getting a few licks in. One of the real shockers came when The EST of NXT gorilla-pressed Lacey Lane and tossed her into the Superstars crowded outside of the ring. Not one to shy from a game of one-upmanship, Shirai hopped on top of the turnbuckle to administer a jaw-dropping moonsault on the bunch, before wrapping her hands with the NXT Women’s Title. Is this a sign of things to come on Friday?