We are in a new era of women’s wrestling as a whole. We crowned three new champions this past weekend. The 3-peat of the EST continues, and you can’t hide! From NXT Stand & Deliver to WrestleMania 39 night 1 & 2, we were in for a treat!
NXT Stand & Deliver
At Stand & Deliver, Indi Hartwell defeated five other women to become your new NXT Women’s Champion. Roxanne Perez, the champion, faced off against Zoey Stark, Lyra Valkyria, Tiffany Stratton, Indi Hartwell, and Gigi Dolin in the opening Ladder match of Stand & Deliver.
The match had several high-risk moments, and each woman came very close to winning the title several times, which kept the crowd heated the entire time.
In one instance, Jacy Jayne unexpectedly showed up at a crucial moment to cost Gigi Dolin, shocking everyone in the process. Dolin was alone on the ladder at the time. The competition came to an end when Indi Hartwell knocked the ladder over, sending Stratton, who was standing atop it, plummeting to the ground.
Hartwell appeared to be to hurt to climb the ladder, but Dexter Lumis would show up to cheer her on and lend a hand as he promoted her to the position.
Schism vs. Chase U
Schism vs. Chase U would be featured on the Kick-Off show.
Early in the match, Thea Hail would enter the fray eager to take on Ava, who had been baiting the crowd, before quickly leaving. The two would eventually encounter each other several times in the ring, interacting with the men as well. Ava was used as a powerhouse. Duke Hudson pulled off a fake outturn, but Chase University would ultimately prevail and keep their university alive!
NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion: Kiana James & Fallon Henley (c) vs Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre
Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre are the new NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions, marking Isla Dawn’s first victory in her WWE career. They overcame the Kiana James and Fallon Henley team, whose internal strife put an end to their rule after 56 days.
Due to their communication gaps, James and Henley entered the match at a significant disadvantage. Since their team had just been formed, Henley had been wondering, “Who is Sebastian?” and she didn’t have much faith in James. And their undoing would come from that mistrust.
James asked Brooks Jensen for her bag in the closing seconds of the match. Henley persuaded Jensen not to do it because she believed there would be something in the bag to enable cheating to win. By using the diversion to her advantage, Dawn delivered a backbreaker that allowed Fyre to score the winning senton.
As was already mentioned, Dawn, a former NXT UK talent, has just earned her first gold in the organization. Fyre, formerly known as Kay Lee Ray, held the NXT UK Women’s Championship for the longest period of time.
WrestleMania 39 Night One
Damage CTRL vs Lita, Becky Lynch & Trish Stratus
The six-woman tag team match proved that the legends could still keep up with the newer generation. Damage CTRL took on the team of Trish Stratus & the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Lita & Becky Lynch.
Damage CTRL was able to isolate Lita and control a significant portion of the match, but they were unable to defeat the tag team champions and the combination of legends.
Lynch won the match with a Manhandle Slam on Bayley in the waning seconds of the contest. After being eliminated by a Twist of Fate from Lita and a Chick Kick from Stratus, IYO SKY, and Dakota Kai were hit by a moonsault by Lita as Lynch was dealing with Bayley in her corner.
Smackdown Women’s Champion: Rhea Ripley vs Charlotte Flair (c)
The Queen has been deposed, and Rhea Ripley is now the new SmackDown Women’s Champion. Charlotte Flair’s reign comes to an end after 92 days thanks to Ripley’s victory over her.
The contest continued as the preliminary contest to the main event. Ripley and Flair’s match—possibly the highlight of the evening—lay everything on the line. Ripley avoided Figure 8, while Flair kicked out of Riptide. Both women utilized every tool at their disposal.
When the match was about to end, Ripley slammed Flair face-first onto the top of the ring post with both competitors in the corner. Ripley had the upper hand thanks to that. In order to secure her enormous victory, she delivered an avalanche riptide from the ropes and pinned the queen!
When Ripley triumphs, she becomes the Grand Slam Champion. One of the five women who have received that honor to date. Additionally, she is the ONLY woman to have ever held the Women’s Tag Team, Raw Women’s, SmackDown Women’s, and NXT UK Women’s Titles.
WrestleMania 39 Night Two
Women’s WrestleMania Showcase
The WrestleMania Showcase Fatal Four-way was rather underwhelming. Despite the fact that the majority of the other women were indeed working. The match would ultimately be won by Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey with hardly any effort. After tagging herself in, Rousey would enter the fight and put Shotzi in an armbar to win by submission.
Raw Women’s Champion: Asuka vs Bianca Belair (c)
Bianca Belair is still your Raw Women’s Champion despite a challenging match with Asuka. She actually won and then successfully defended the title in back-to-back WrestleManias, making today the 365th day of her reign as champion.
Before leaving, Belair made her way through a fun entrance where the local Divas of Compton girls performed a routine. The one young child who danced with Belair directly was said to have lost her mother earlier in the day, according to information shared at the press conference held following the event.
In the waning seconds of the match, Asuka tried to spray the mist, but Belair managed to dodge it, sparking a back-and-forth argument. Belair fueled out to finally hit the KOD after Asuka successfully negated one KOD by wheeling through and locking in the armbar.
What an amazing WrestleMania weekend! Goodnight LA! Hello, Philly for WrestleMania 40!
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