NXT UK Women’s title defended before WWE Evolution
When Evolution was first announced, WWE listed the NXT United Kingdom Women’s Championship as one of the titles that would be defended at the pay-per-view.
The participants weren’t advertised in advance and the match didn’t air live, but the NXT UK Women’s title was defended tonight. Rhea Ripley defeated Dakota Kai to retain the title at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York shortly before the Evolution main card started. ESPN.com noted that it was a fast-paced match that had a lot of energy from the crowd.
Ripley’s title win has yet to air on the WWE Network. She won the championship in an eight-woman tournament at NXT UK’s television tapings in Birmingham, England in August. She defeated Xia Brookside and Kai to get to the finals, then defeated Toni Storm to become the inaugural champion.
Since winning the title, Ripley has also been defending it at NXT’s house shows in Florida.
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.