A women’s Triple Threat bout has been added to this coming week’s NXT 2.0. Three women, to be determined, will face off from the three teams that will face each other at Halloween Havoc on Oct. 26. At Halloween Havoc, the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles will be defended as the champions Io Shirai & … Read more
Not only is Halloween Havoc back on Oct. 26 but the ‘Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal’ concept has returned as well. Last year, Halloween Havoc was one of several old-school themes that were brought back. This show was based in WCW in the ’90s and is now a feature under the NXT banner. From … Read more
NXT 2.0 kicked off tonight as a new look came to the brand. With this revamped style comes a wedding. A wrestling wedding, what could go wrong? With the love between Indi Ophelia Hartwell and Dexter Gaylord Lumis known together as the couple name InDex, surprising it took place without a hitch! Nothing went wrong. … Read more
Mandy Rose continues to have her eye on the team of Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne. Since Rose’s return to the NXT brand, she has scouted both Dolin and Jayne and has been seen backstage conversing with them. As a result, the two have formed a new tag team. Dolin picked up her first win … Read more
The hottest couple in wrestling Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis have taken their relationship to the next level on this week’s NXT. The star-crossed lovers have fought hard for their love over the past couple of months. Her guardians, Johnny Gargano and Candice LaRae have attempted to break them up multiple times, but as the … Read more
NXT’s last show before their TakeOver:36 event is tonight. At TakeOver on Sunday, Aug. 22, the NXT Women’s Championship will be on the line as Raquel Gonzalez defends against Dakota Kai. The two former teammates will have a sit-down interview tonight. A mixed-tag team match is also set for tonight. Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea … Read more
A Mixed Tag Team Match is set for tonight’s NXT. Indi Hartwell went on her first date with Dexter Lumis last week and the couple seems to be stronger than ever as they are set to face Robert Stone and Jessi Kamea tonight. The Way’s Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae continue to try and break … Read more
This week’s NXT saw Gigi Dolin pick up her first win in NXT while Sarray had her winning streak end.
Credit: WWE
Dolin, with Jacy Jayne, faced Amari Miller and was able to put her opponent away with a killer of a finisher. The pairing of Dolin and Jayne had been teased in recent weeks when Mandy Rose made her surprise return to the NXT brand. Rose scouted out both Dolin and Jayne after they suffered losses. Although Rose wasn’t present tonight for Dolin’s win, she took to her Twitter to congratulate Hell’s Favorite and take credit for the advice she has provided.
Congrats @gigidolin_wwe on your victory! It sure seems like the advice is already paying off. ;) @jacyjaynewwe
In a post-match WWE Exclusive, Dolin and Jayne put the NXT women’s division on notice as they are ready to take over the brand.
To kick off this week’s show, Sarray took on Dakota Kai with her winning streak on the line. Kai is currently the number one contender for the NXT Women’s Title and will be facing the champion, Raquel Gonzalez, at TakeOver 36. It was originally scheduled to be Ember Moon to face Sarray, but it was announced before the show that Moon was not medically cleared to compete. Sarray’s first match was in April and had defeated such talent as Zoey Stark, Aliyah, and Zayda Ramier.
Sarray and Kai had a stellar match to kick off the show, but in the end, a huge kick in the corner kept the Warrior of the Sun down for a three count. During the match, Gonzalez arrived at the CWC. As Kai attempted to send a message to the champ using Sarray as the punching bag, Gonzalez appeared and chased her challenger out of the ring.
The champion took to the mic and said she is going to tear Kai apart and if she wanted a chance at the tile all she had to do was ask. She adds that Kai will never be Raquel Gonzalez and she will never have the title.
Other moments of the night included InDex going on their first date. Last week, even though Johnny Gargano defeated Dexter Lumis…InDex is stronger than ever. Indi Hartwell attempted to enjoy her time with Lumis out at a restaurant but both Gargano and Candice LeRae attempted to interfere.
The Robert Stone Brand was backstage as Robert Stone approached Franky Monet and Jessi Kamea who were watching the InDex date on a tablet. Stone went on about how he could take out Dexter Lumis and how he wasn’t that big of a deal. Monet clearly pondering what Stone had to say, left and told her stable she will see them later.
Lastly, Tian Sha was on tonight’s show, but Xia Li wasn’t with them. Boa had a one-on-one match with Drake Maverick, which he came out with the victory. Mei Ying spent the match standing at ringside which is different than her staying seated at the top of the stage. There was no mention of Li and she was not a part of the vignette that was also aired.
This week’s NXT didn’t have any women’s matches, unfortunately, but what it did have was a lot of segments. Dakota Kai turned on her now former ally and tag team partner, NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez last week. So why did this happen? According to Kai, if it wasn’t for her then Gonzalez would still … Read more
Aliyah worked her second dark match in two weeks and this time she picked up a victory. Last week, she lost to Xia Li. Indi Hartwell made her first dark match appearance since WWE has been using NXT talent for such matches. Although there is no guarantee that the talent used in these matches will … Read more
Tegan Nox has returned and as a result, Io Shirai and Zoey Stark are the NEW NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions at The Great American Bash. Shirai & Stark ended the 63-day reign of The Way and become the fourth team to win the titles since its inception in March. The Way’s Candice LeRae and … Read more
Io Shirai & Zoey Stark are officially the next opponents for The Way’s (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships. The title match will take place at The Great American Bash on July 6. Shirai & Stark won this opportunity by winning a Triple Threat on this week’s NXT that involved NXT … Read more
Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell of The Way are now your new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions after defeating Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon in a main event Street Fight. This is the first gold won for both women within the company. LeRae & Hartwell also captured the titles without any assistance from the male … Read more
Next week the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships will be on the line in a Street Fight. The champions, Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon will be defending their gold against The Way. Last week, Indi Hartwell said that she got herself and Candice LeRae a match against the champions but Blackheart/Moon had The Robert Stone … Read more
The Warrior of the Sun has officially wrestled her first match in NXT.
Sarray is victorious in her first match for the brand. The highly anticipated match landed her across the ring from Zoey Stark. Stark has been impressive since joining the brand herself so this match-up already had the potential to be a good one and it did not disappoint. She puts away her first opponent with a spinning heel kick under the jaw, connecting with a forearm, and hitting a suplex to get the pin.
After the match, both Sarray and Stark showed excellent sportsmanship. Sarray helped up Stark who then raised her arm in victory. As Stark was making her way up the ramp she was attacked by Toni Storm. Stark defeated Storm on the pre-show of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver and it is clear that taking that loss isn’t sitting well with Storm. Sarray went over to help Stark and to prevent any further attack from Storm.
This was the only women’s match on the show this week but there were many women throughout the show. NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez was being interviewed and was asked about all of the eyes that have been fixated on her now that she is champion. She said to line all the challengers up and she will defeat them all until there is no one left standing.
Kai then focused on Martinez who called out Gonzalez last week. Martinez answered later on in the night and said she would go through Kai first so that there will be no one in her way to get to Gonzalez and the gold.
"If they want to step up, go ahead, light 'em up, and I'll take them down one-by-one, until there is NO ONE left standing." – @RaquelWWE
As for the former NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai, she had a sit-down interview with Beth Phoenix about her title reign and recent loss and what she sees for her future. They discussed the match from Stand & Deliver which led to Shirai saying that when the time is right she will get her rematch.
Phoenix asked her what was next in the meantime. Shirai says her body needs rest in order to face Gonzalez again. As she tries to explain possible time away from the ring, Franky Monet entered with her dog. Monet introduced herself to Shirai and says that she is such a fan of Phoenix who she has been watching since she was a kid.
Monet adds that she didn’t mean to eavesdrop but since Shirai is going to take some time off that she could fill her shoes as the top woman of the NXT women’s division. Shirai responds in Japanese and after Monet says she doesn’t understand Shirai says that she likes cats.
Lastly, we have The Way. Early in the night, Dexter Lumis took on LA Knight and Indi Hartwell appeared behind the barricade. This distracted Lumis to the point that he suffered a loss. Hartwell then tried to console him and get her kiss but The Way came and grabbed her off the apron and took her away from the situation.
Throughout the night Hartwell continued to be preoccupied with the thought of Lumis. Candice LeRae told her that she really needs to get focused and stop being distracted by boys. They need to focus on the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles. Not knowing that Hartwell had left her, LeRae was approached by the champions Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon. Once LeRae realized that Hartwell was no longer by her side, the tag champs attacked her and pulled her into the bathroom.
After being attacked, a disheveled LeRae would join her husband Johnny Gargano along with Austin Theory backstage. Theory was discussing a match that he was able to get booked in. They asked what happened to LeRae but she didn’t answer as Hartwell joined her stablemates. Hartwell says she ran into William Regal and was able to get them a tag team title match. Everyone but LeRae seemed thrilled by that announcement as she is left by herself.
What did you think of Sarray’s debut match against Stark? How about everything else that transpired for the women of the brand this week? Leave your thoughts below.
NXT is now on Tuesday nights and there is a lot to unpack already.
There was an advertised debut, two matches that involved the women including the main event, a lot of eyes on the new champion Raquel Gonzalez, and a surprise moment that was heartwarming to see.
The first match of the night was from an altercation that happened earlier in the day. Mercedes Martinez was heated because after she paired back up with The Robert Stone Brand a few weeks ago she didn’t get paid as she wanted. This was done because Jessi Kamea wasn’t able to compete. She approached Aliyah and Robert Stone backstage. When she wasn’t getting her money she choked Aliyah up against the way until Kamea entered. Martinez asked her if she wanted to step up to her. Kamea said no, she wanted to step on her.
Mercedes Martinez defeated Jessi Kamea
Despite the confidence that Kamea presented, the match was way shorter than it needed to be and Martinez was able to pick up the victory. After the match, Martinez went after Stone and Aliyah. Aliyah was able to escape around the barricade to the other side of the plexiglass but Stone wasn’t so lucky. Martinez held him up against the plexiglass until he gave her the money she was requesting.
As she was walking away checking her money, she stopped at the announce table and delivered a message to Raquel Gonzalez. Martinez has her eyes set on the new champion and wants to take the gold for herself as she states she is coming for her.
She isn’t the only woman that has her eyes set on Gonzalez. The debuting Franky Monet made a huge statement as she let the new champion know that she will be seeing her every Tuesday night. For a full rundown of what took place during Monet’s debut, you can click here to see the previous report.
After Monet and her adorable dog left the ring, a moment happened that no one was expecting. The new RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and the new SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair joined Gonzalez in the center of the ring to celebrate their victories. Behind them on the screen was a photo of all three of them together. It was a beautiful and a fully realized moment of what we have witnessed this past week.
In a WWE Network Exclusive that was just uploaded, it shows Triple H being the proud papa as he takes photos with all three champions. Then after he leaves the three women to discuss their wins with one another and Ripley mentions that it is the start of a new era. They all agree and Belair says that the ones that came before them don’t have to leave but they need to make some space. Plus there is more coming behind them as well.
The main event saw an eight-person tag team match that pinned the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon & Shotzi Blackheart along with Dexter Lumis and Bronson Reed against all four members of The Way.
Blackheart, Moon, Reed, and Lumis defeated The Way
This match had a bit of everything and was fun to watch. As the match starts to wind down to its finish, Indi Hartwell pretended to be knocked out in the ring as Lumis was trying to put Johnny Gargano to sleep. Once Lumis realized that Hartwell was “knocked out” he showed concern. As he goes to help her up, Austin Theory takes him out and Lumis spills to the outside. Hartwell then disposes of her own teammate Theory out on the other side of the ring. She then falls down again on the ring apron and Lumis picks her up to take her to the back. She picks her head up, winks, and smiles with a thumbs up. #Index.
Back to the action in the ring. Moon climbs on top of Reed’s shoulders and delivers an Eclipse on Theory. Candice LeRae then dumps Moon to the outside. Reed then fights off Gargano and Theory in the corner as he is perched up on the top turnbuckle. LeRae then tries to deliver a superplex to Reed as Blackheart shows up to place her on her shoulders and drop her on top of Theory. Reed then hits a Tsunami for the pin and the victory for his team.
Other women who made appearances on the show are Zoey Stark, Marina Shafir, and the announcement of Sarray’s debut.
Stark was seen backstage being interviewed about how she felt competing at her first TakeOver event. She says just four months ago she was living in Las Vegas trying to make ends meet. Now she has a huge victory over Toni Storm and has her eyes set on the NXT Women’s Title. Mercedes Martinez had something to say about that statement. Martinez says that she is the next in line for a title shot and that we shouldn’t be wasting our time on some rookie.
Shafir didn’t play any big part in the show but she was alongside her husband Roderick Strong. Strong turned in his resignation to William Regal who stated that he was always welcome back. What this may mean for Strong and if Shafir is going to play a part in it remains to be seen. Shafir was last seen in action alongside Zoey Stark in the Dusty Cup in January.
Lastly, Sarray will be making her long awaited debut next week. Sarray was signed a while back and because of the pandemic she wasn’t able to get to the United States. She is here now and the video hyping her debut from Regal seems to be big things on the horizon for this talent.
Now let’s get into the Winners & Losers of the week:
Although I am not loving the fact that Raquel seems to be a babyface all of a sudden, she 100% deserves this title win. Her recapping her history and how much she has grown showed that. Her interaction with the debuting Franky was great. And the big moment between her and Rhea and Bianca was something that I was not expecting in the slightest and made me emotional from all three wins this past week.
WINNER: Franky Monet
Good first impression of Franky. And for a change we have someone who is debuting who I feel has a good entrance and music to go along with it. The Torrie Wilson vibes are real. Going right towards the champ is good also and at the same time it doesn’t feel like she is necessarily jumping the line as Mercedes and Zoey both mentioned they have their eye on the prize as well.
WINNER: Indi Hartwell
Indi has so much talent. Both in the ring and her ability to make everyone laugh. I was fully expecting the Index moment and I am still good with it happening as it did. Her thumbs up was great and the WWE Network Exclusive that has come out is even better. She explained where she went missing was that she had to go to “medical” to be “cleared.” *wink wink* The Way is actually a stable where all four of them play their parts so very well.
It’s hard to pick a loser because everything was solid. But the constant jobbing that The Robert Stone Brand gets to be tiring. Kamea stands up to Martinez in the clip from earlier today to just lose in a minute. I didn’t expect her to beat Martinez but at least they could have had a solid match.
If RAW and SmackDown would start using their women as much as NXT does then it would be a lot more fun discussing the Winners & Losers of the week.
Night two of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver takes place tonight. The event features the first-ever defence of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships on a Takeover. The champions Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon defend the titles against The Way, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. The two teams have been on a collision course for … Read more
A second women’s match has been added to the two-night TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event for next week. The NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships will be on the line as the champs Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon will be facing The Way (Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell). The match was announced on tonight’s NXT after … Read more
Indi Hartwell is at the forefront of NXT as of late. She joined NXT’s “power-couple” Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano to form “The Way”. Since becoming “Indi Wrestling” Hartwell has teamed with the “Poisoned Pixie” in the first-ever women’s Dusty Classic Tag Team Tournament. However, in a recent interview with Newshub Hartwell revealed that she … Read more
The fallout from TakeOver: Vengeance Day is upon us and there certainly will be a lot to unpack on tonight’s NXT. We witnessed the very first winners of a women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and they have a future tag team title opportunity in their back pockets. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez earned that … Read more
NXT has reached its final show before their TakeOver event this Sunday. That event, Vengeance Day, has two women’s matches on the card. First, there will be the NXT Women’s Title on the line as Io Shirai faces both Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez in a huge Triple Threat match. The second match will be … Read more
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell of The Way stable advanced in their first-round match of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. In this first-ever tournament, The Way faced newcomers to NXT – GiGi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) and Cora Jade (Elayna Black). This was also the first women’s match to ever take place on 205 Live. … Read more
In a backstage segment on NXT this week, we heard two teams announced for the upcoming women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Shotzi Blackheart was being interviewed about her loss from earlier in the night against Candice LeRae. Blackheart says that she won’t whine about her loss but look forward to making history. She explains … Read more
A heel turn, one team is formed for WarGames, and we are one step closer to seeing who has Xia Li living in fear. The one women’s match of the week was advertised between Ember Moon and Candice LeRae. As the match progressed, Moon became more and more outnumbered. Indi Hartwell of course accompanied LeRae … Read more
Toni vs. Candice, Ghostface, and Boa. Oh my! Heading into tonight’s show there were two matches scheduled. One was Xia Li vs. Raquel Gonzalez, which Li requested to happen after receiving yet another letter from her family last week. Xia Li vs. Raquel Gonzalez – Match never took place Gonzalez made her way to the … Read more
Candice LeRae has earned another opportunity to win her first championship gold with NXT as she will face Io Shirai in two weeks at Halloween Havoc. LeRae defeated Shotzi Blackheart in a number one contender match with an assist by Indi Hartwell. The Poison Pixie last faced Shirai at TakeOver 31 and came up just … Read more
