WWE reveals two new women’s championships and continues their qualifiers for Money in the Bank. Kris Statlander begins a hot steak after winning the TBS Championship at Double or Nothing. Thea Hail secures a shot at Tiffany Stratton’s NXT Women’s Championship, and more! Let’s break it down in this week’s edition of Women’s Wrestling Wrap-Up.
WWE Unveils Two New Women’s Titles
Following the 2023 WWE Draft, the company’s women’s championships were left in a state of confusion. Rhea Ripley, the SmackDown Women’s Champion, had been assigned to RAW. Meanwhile, Bianca Belair — who held the RAW Women’s Championship at the time — was drafted to SmackDown. Many believed the situation would be solved by a title swap, but as the weeks progressed, it became clear that WWE opted to go a different route this year.
Last Friday, WWE official Adam Pearce welcomed out the newly crowned RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka. After Asuka made her way out to the ring, Pearce announced that moving forward, the RAW Women’s Championship will revert back to its former name — the WWE Women’s Championship. As Pearce handed the new title to Asuka, it didn’t take long for a new challenger to emerge.
Asuka’s former rival, Charlotte Flair, soon made her way down to the ring. Following her loss to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39, Flair was hellbent on revitalizing her collection of gold. As such, she challenged Asuka to defend her WWE Women’s Championship against her. Asuka accepted and attempted to surprise Flair with a spit of mist. Flair seemed to have it scouted though as she ducked out of the way.
Asuka will now defend the WWE Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair on the June 30 edition of SmackDown. Ahead of their title match, Flair will be a guest on “The Grayson Waller Effect” this Friday.
Three days after Asuka’s WWE Women’s title presentation, Rhea Ripley received a similar introduction. Last night on RAW, Ripley kicked off the show alongside Adam Pearce. Upon Ripley’s entrance in the ring, Pearce unveiled the brand-new Women’s World Championship. This title will now take the place of the SmackDown Women’s Championship. The belt itself was modeled after the World Heavyweight Championship, which was recently awarded to Seth Rollins.
RELATED: More Details On Why WWE Is Making Changes To Championship Titles
Kris Statlander Begins A Hot Streak
On May 28, Kris Statlander made a surprise return to All Elite Wrestling as she answered an open challenge laid out by TBS Champion Jade Cargill. To Cargill’s dismay, Statlander picked up a pinfall after landing her signature piledriver. This effectively made Statlander the new TBS Champion. In the wake of breaking Cargill’s winning streak, and her title win, Statlander began a hot streak of her own.
Three days after Statlander’s victory at AEW Double or Nothing, she geared up for her first title defense on Dynamite. There, Statlander stepped up to face the “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose. After conquering Rose, Statlander moved on to defend her TBS Championship against Anna Jay, whom she met at an AEW House Rules show in Tupelo, Mississippi. Jay would fall short in her quest for the gold, paving the way for Lady Frost to challenge Statlander next. The following night, Frost and Statlander wrestled one-on-one at a House Rules event in Huntsville, Alabama. Frost put up a valiant effort, but in the end, Statlander’s momentum continued to roll.
Ahead of AEW Dynamite last week, President Tony Khan announced that Anna Jay had demanded a rematch from their battle on June 2. As such, Jay received a second shot at the TBS Championship. Unfortunately for Jay, the same result occurred. Even with a distraction from Matt Menard, Kris Statlander prevailed, sealing her victory with another piledriver.
With her victory last Wednesday, Statlander is 5-0 since returning at AEW Double or Nothing. And by the looks of it, she doesn’t appear to be letting up anytime soon.
RELATED: Kris Statlander: There Were Talks About TBS Title Win Months Before My Return
Thea Hail Earns A Title Shot
Thea Hail has done it.
Last week on WWE NXT, 18 women competed in a battle to earn a future title shot against NXT Women’s Championship Tiffany Stratton. Of course, only one could win. The match itself included a variety of female superstars, such as Lola Vice, Cora Jade, Fallon Henley, and a surprise entry from Dana Brooke.
After making her return to NXT earlier that night, Brooke seemed to make it to the final two of the battle royal alongside Cora Jade. That was until Thea Hail reappeared. After recovering from a crash into the steel steps, Hail made her way back into the ring. The closing moment saw Brooke and Jade entangled in the ropes attempting to eliminate each other. This allowed Hail to sneak up and push them out. As Brooke and Jade’s feet hit the floor, Thea Hail got the victory.
Chase U then filled the ring to celebrate Hail’s win. Their post-match celebration also featured the on-screen debut of The Cavinder Twins (Haley & Hanna) as they sat Hail atop their shoulders.
With this win, Hail has secured a future NXT Women’s Championship match against Tiffany Stratton. As Hail waits to find out the date of her title match, she will pivot her focus to Cora Jade, whom she faces one-on-one tonight on NXT.
RELATED: Two New Matches Announced For 6/13 NXT
INTERVIEWS
TBS Champion Kris Statlander spoke with Haus of Wrestling about her TBS Championship win at AEW Double or Nothing, recovering from her second ACL tear, Willow Nightingale’s NJPW title win, CM Punk’s AEW return, and more.
Former Knockouts Champion Courtney Rush (fka Rosemary) chatted with Denise Salcedo about her recent character change, her start in wrestling, career with IMPACT, Trinity, and more.
WWE Superstar Zoey Stark appeared on Women’s Wrestling Talk to discuss the opportunity to work with Trish Stratus, her strategy to win Money in the Bank, her future on the main roster, and more.
Former NWA Women’s Tag Team Champions The Hex chatted with Fightful about their run in IMPACT Wrestling, scams on social media, their time on the free agency market, and more.
Former NXT talent Brandi Lauren joined Wrestling With Entertainment to discuss her homecoming to Shimmer, friendship with Shotzi Blackheart, her trip to South Korea, and more.
RESULTS
SPARK Joshi Puroresu Of America: Ignite East – June 11
- Janai Kai defeated Dani Mo
- KiLynn King defeated Ultra Violette
- Ashley D’Amboise defeated Tiara James
- Masha Slamovich vs. Rina Yamashita – Time Limit Draw
- Maki Itoh defeated Brittany Blake
- SAKI defeated Billie Starkz
- SPARK Joshi World Title Match (vacant): Miyu Yamashita defeated Rachael Ellering
