Fallon Henley walked out of NXT Gold Rush as the new WWE Women’s Speed Champion after a chaotic and controversial finish to her tournament final against Zaria. The title became vacant when Sol Ruca was forced to relinquish it due to injury, and the November 25 broadcast featured the culmination of the tournament in a match that quickly escalated in intensity.
Zaria came out aggressive, locking Henley in a Texas Cloverleaf that nearly ended the match early until Henley reached the ropes. Zaria stayed firmly in control, landing a middle-rope clothesline and taking the fight to the floor. Once the action spilled outside, the presence of Henley’s Fatal Influence allies, Jacy Jayne and Lainey Reid, immediately influenced the direction of the match. After Zaria rolled Henley back inside, she turned around to find herself surrounded. She dropped Reid with a punch, but the brief moment of distraction opened the door for Henley to catch her with a kick after Jayne ducked out of the way. Back in the ring, Henley narrowly missed scoring the win off a DDT when Zaria kicked out at two.
The match then hit the five-minute Speed division time limit, leaving the bout without a decisive winner. NXT General Manager Ava stepped onto the stage within seconds and announced that the match would continue under sudden-death rules, insisting that a champion must be crowned.
The restart saw Zaria explode out of the gate, spearing Henley through the ropes and sending both women crashing to the floor. But as she charged for a second spear, Reid yanked Henley aside, sending Zaria crashing shoulder-first into the steel steps. With Zaria stunned, Henley dragged her back into the ring and drilled her with a Shining Wizard before landing her Famouser to secure the three count and the championship.
The win marks Henley’s first run with the Women’s Speed Title and adds another milestone to the growing dominance of Fatal Influence on the NXT brand.
