AEW and NXT Wednesday Night War: 3 winners of night #13
Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Kay Lee Ray, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, and Io Shirai
Speaking of Ripley, the new NXT Women’s Champion started off this past Wednesday’s NXT with a victory lap promo that was interrupted by former NXT UK rival Toni Storm. After Storm stated her intentions to challenge Ripley at the Worlds Collide show, we then got the procession of wrestlers who staked their claim for a title shot.
The “wrestlers interrupt and talk without anyone fighting each other immediately” segment evoked memories of far too many bad main roster angles and served as a reminder that, despite its quality, NXT is still a WWE show, but there were two parts that redeemed it. First, it was this verbal beatdown from Bianca Belair toward the other women:
Bianca Belair: "I got 20/20 vision and I can see that I'm better than you."
— Daily DDT (@FanSidedDDT) January 9, 2020
*points at Kay Lee Ray*
"I'm better than you."
*points at Io Shirai*
*Turns to Toni Storm*
"You don't even go here."
*Looks Rhea Ripley up and down*
"And I'm definitely better than you."
SO GOOD
The second was what came after the conversing ended: a six-woman tag team match pitting Ripley, Storm, and Candice LeRae against Belair, Io Shirai, and NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray that lived up to each woman’s in-ring reputation.
Ripley ultimately got the win for her team, but this match and the segment that came before it, contrived as it was, established a clear early direction for some future Ripley title programs.