Trinity Fatu debuted for IMPACT Wrestling. The WWE Draft shakes up the main roster. Jade Cargill defends her TBS Championship against Taya Valkyrie. Emily Jaye speaks with WrestleZone, and more! Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up.
Trinity Arrives At IMPACT Wrestling
IMPACT Wrestling is getting ready to feel the glow this week.
Last Friday, the wrestling world clamored to social media to see if the rumors were true. Was Naomi (real name Trinity Fatu) coming to IMPACT? As it turns out, she was.
During IMPACT’s Summer Slugfest, a two-night television taping event, the company teased they had a “major surprise” coming. That surprise, of course, emerged as former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Naomi, now performing under the name of Trinity. The live crowd in Chicago erupted with cheers, and soon after, so did the online wrestling community.
Trinity’s arrival was accompanied by a debut promo, in which she applauded the history and current status of the Knockouts Division. The full speech will not air until this Thursday on IMPACT Wrestling, but some local fans captured snippets of her introductory statement.
“I have arrived in IMPACT Wrestling. I like the sound of that [in response to chants chanting her name]. Now you better believe that the reason why I chose IMPACT… this company has the most storied women’s division in wrestling. I mean, from the beginning, the Knockouts Division has been the place to be for fierce competition, and I want a piece of it. I’m talking about amazing, talented women in this division, like Awesome Kong, Gail Kim, the legendary Mickie James, Deonna Purrazzo, and the talented Jordynne Grace,” Trinity said in a video shared by @m4rvelgirl on Twitter.
Trinity’s promo would serve as a precursor for night two of tapings, as she stepped up to face her first opponent in the company — Knockouts Tag Team Champion KiLynn King. The result of that contest has yet to air on television as well.
WrestleZone will keep you updated as more details on Trinity’s IMPACT arrival become available.
RELATED: Trinity Fatu Calls WWE Exit A Blessing In Disguise
WWE Draft Results
The 2023 WWE Draft has now come and gone, but the results still have people chattering.
Last Friday on SmackDown, CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque kicked off the WWE Draft by laying down some ground rules for the two-night event. Levesque noted that every superstar from RAW and SmackDown was subject to the possibility of transferring to another brand. In addition, select NXT superstars were also eligible to be drafted to either the red or blue brand. Most importantly, these draft picks will officially go into effect on Monday, May 8th, the day after Backlash.
As per usual, the draft provided a balance of brand changes and NXT call-ups. Perhaps most shocking, though, were the destinations for the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Champions, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley, respectively. On night one, WWE announced that Bianca Belair would transfer over to SmackDown. Night two saw Rhea Ripley making an imminent move to RAW. This presents a critical question: what happens with their brand-specific titles?
Belair, of course, will defend her RAW Women’s Championship against IYO SKY at Backlash this Saturday. Regardless of the match outcome, the title will stay on the blue brand as SKY was also assigned to SmackDown. During the 2021 WWE Draft, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch found themselves in the same situation, so they simply swapped their titles. If history repeats itself, Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley may follow suit.
NXT Call-Ups
Other notable draft picks include the six call-ups from NXT’s women’s division. Four of those call-ups will report to RAW, while the other two make their way to SmackDown. The red brand will receive NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell, Zoey Stark, Katana Chance, and Kayden Carter. SmackDown will now serve as the home to the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn.
There are some loose threads though. Tuesday on WWE NXT, Fyre and Dawn will defend their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship against Chance and Karter. Whoever walks out as champions will report to the main roster next week.
This leaves the status of the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships in question. Some have suggested that the titles might be unified with the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships of the main roster, which are currently held by Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Of course, WWE has yet to signal any clarification on what will happen after this title match.
Indi Hartwell finds herself in a similar situation, as she currently holds the NXT Women’s Championship. Last week, she successfully defended it against Tiffany Stratton and Roxanne Perez. Next week, she becomes an official member of the RAW roster as the future of NXT Women’s Championship remains uncertain.
A full breakdown of the WWE Draft results, as it pertains to the women’s division, can be read below:
RAW Women’s Division
Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, Ronda Rousey, Shayna Baszler, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Indi Hartwell, Natalya, Candice LeRae, Chelsea Green, Sonya Deville, Zoey Stark, Valhalla, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Xia Li, Tegan Nox, Nikki Cross, Dana Brooke, Piper Niven, Emma, Maxxine Dupri
SmackDown Women’s Division
Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Asuka, Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Zelina Vega, Michin (Mia Yim), Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn, Shotzi, Lacey Evans, Scarlett, B-Fab, Tamina
RELATED: Alba Fyre And Isla Dawn: We Had No Idea We Were Getting Drafted
Jade Cargill Defends TBS Title Against Taya Valkyrie
After setting her sights on the TBS Championship during her debut, Taya Valkyrie finally received the opportunity to claim the title. Last week on AEW Dynamite, Valkyrie challenged reigning champion Jade Cargill for the gold.
Heading into the match, AEW laid out one important rule: Taya Valkyrie could not use her finisher, Road to Valhalla, during the title match or else she’d be disqualified. The Road to Valhalla, of course, is the same type of move (a sit-out facebuster) Cargill uses for her finisher called Jaded. Unfortunately, this proved to be a hindrance for Valkyrie.
As “La Wera Loca” began setting up the move, referee Aubrey Edwards reminded her it was banned. Valkyrie then let her Cargill back down to her feet. This allowed Cargill to counter with a roll-up and secure the victory. With this win, Jade Cargill’s record improves to 56-0.
Valkyrie’s loss evidently upset her, which resulted in a post-match attack on Cargill and Leila Grey before Valkyrie turned her sights to Aubrey Edwards. Valkyrie picked up Edwards to position her in the Road To Valhalla, but luckily for Edwards, AEW officials quickly rushed down to save her.
A brief recap of the match can be read below, courtesy of our live coverage page.
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
Cargill and Valkyrie battle back and forth. The champion takes control and overpowers Valkyrie. The challenger rallies and takes the fight to Cargill. Jade dumps Valkyrie with a superplex. Valkyrie goes for the Road to Valhalla, but she hesitates because she would be disqualified if she used the move. Cargill capitalzies and rolls Valkyrie up for the win.
Winner and still TBS Champion: Jade Cargill
RELATED: Britt Baker Warns Jade Cargill: You’re Not Going To Steam Roll Through All Of Us
INTERVIEWS
“The Stunner” Emily Jaye spoke with WrestleZone‘s Ella Jay about her HEATH-inspired ring gear, helpful feedback and advice she’s received thus far, recently diving into heel work, her love for Taylor Swift, and more.
IMPACT Wrestling Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard about her recent title win, how she celebrated it, teaming with Jordynne Grace, Captain America, Mercedes Moné, matches she could have at Multiverse United 2 and more.
Independent star Brittnie Brooks appeared on Women’s Wrestling Talk to discuss juggling school and work while traveling to wrestle on the weekends, her wrestling influences, WrestleMania week, and more.
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez joined WWE’s After The Bell podcast to talk about winning the titles, building their chemistry as a tag team and what’s next for them as champions.
Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Trinity Fatu (Naomi) chatted with NBC Chicago about making a surprise in IMPACT Wrestling, her long hiatus from wrestling, walking out of WWE last year, and more.
