PWMania.com reported a surprising turn of events in the WWE NXT Women’s North American Title match that took place during last Tuesday night’s episode of NXT TV. Thea Hail pulled off a remarkable upset by defeating Blake Monroe to win the title.
However, it seems that the match’s finish was botched. The referee counted to three after Hail executed her signature backward drop from the second rope, but Monroe was unable to kick out or counter the move in time.
Following the pinfall, Monroe’s entrance music played briefly before switching to Hail’s music once she was declared the winner.
According to Fightful Select, an NXT staff member said the incident occurred at the “worst possible time,” as NXT was concluding filming for 2025 and the roster was set to return home for the Christmas break.
It was also noted that the NXT creative team had already finalized several weeks of programming that had been filmed. After Hail’s unexpected title win, there was a “pretty frantic rush” to correct elements that would no longer align with the new champion. Additionally, WWE had to amend a brief error on its website, which initially stated that Monroe had won and retained her title.
The report further states that an NXT higher-up indicated this incident might lead to a significant policy change regarding the wrestlers, who will likely be required to remain until the conclusion of TV tapings.
Typically, NXT’s pre-taped segments are recorded on Mondays, and those involved are expected to remain for the TV taping the following day.
An earlier report by PWInsider.com suggested that Monroe had the wind knocked out of her, contributing to the botched finish and her unsuccessful kick-out attempt. While Fightful Select noted that this belief is prevalent internally, it has not been confirmed.
In light of the unexpected finish, WWE quickly promoted the result on its social media platforms and produced clips showcasing Hail as the winner.
Furthermore, a post-match segment featuring an astonished Monroe confronting Hail and Jordynne Grace during an interview about her victory was added to The CW broadcast on short notice, despite not being planned for the show.
