Thea Hail defeats Nikkita Lyons in WWE Speed debut
Two NXT wrestlers made their WWE Speed debuts today with Thea Hail prevailing over Nikkita Lyons.
A jackknife pin earned Hail the victory over her larger opponent with 21 seconds remaining on the three-minute clock. In the final stretch of the match, Lyons was able to get to the ropes after Hail applied a Kimura. She then hit a spin kick and tried for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Hail rolled through and reversed the pin for the win.
TODAY on #WWESpeed!
— WWE (@WWE) June 27, 2025
The Women’s No. 1 Contender’s Tournament continues as @theahail_wwe takes on @nikkita_wwe! Who will punch their ticket to the Semifinals? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/8F1FIaHSja
Hail vs. Lyons was taped last Friday at SmackDown and was a number one contender’s tournament first-round match. With her victory, Hail advances to face Alba Fyre in the finals on Speed next Wednesday. The winner of that match earns a Speed Women’s Championship shot against Sol Ruca.
Ruca is a double champion at the moment, holding both the WWE Speed Women’s title and NXT Women’s North American title. She dethroned Candice LeRae for the Speed Women’s title this April and has made one successful defense of the belt so far in her reign, defeating Ivy Nile.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.