Thea Hail is your new NXT Women’s North American Champion. Although this is great for the young talent who has won her first piece of gold in NXT, it wasn’t meant to happen. It was not the planned finish, and Blake Monroe was supposed to retain.
According to PWInsider, based on their sources, Monroe had the wind knocked out of her when Hail came off the ropes. Monroe tried to recover to get her shoulder up, but wasn’t able to do it in time and the three count took place.
Hail, who has only been wrestling since 2021, likely didn’t realize she needed to give Monroe a moment to catch her wind and went right for the pin. Since referees are instructed to call pinfalls as if they are legitimate, the referee had no choice but to count.
Production played Monroe’s music at the finish, since she was planned to win, then stopped it and played Hail’s music.
Because Monroe did get her shoulder up but it was a hair too late, NXT later in the show worked it into a storyline. Backstage, Hail was interviewed by Kelly Kincaid and was in delight from her win. Jordynne Grace appeared to congratulate her while Monroe showed up demanding a rematch. Monroe added it was the referee’s fault.
NXT will be taping the next two weeks worth of shows due to the holiday season. We’ll see how this plays out then.