Ranking every NXT Women’s Champion (so far)
#7 – Ember Moon
No. of days as champion: 139
Successful title defenses: 3
Notable appearances: Defended at TakeOver: Philadelphia, appeared in the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match the next night
The powers that be in NXT seemed high on Ember Moon since the moment she debuted. When she hit that beautiful Eclipse on Billie Kay at TakeOver: Brooklyn II, fans knew Moon was destined to be a great asset in the NXT women’s division. In fact, it wasn’t long before Moon was deemed number one contender to Asuka’s NXT Women’s Championship.
All eyes were on their TakeOver: Orlando match during WrestleMania 33 weekend. Asuka’s reign hit the one-year mark, while Ember was becoming the hottest act in the division. Despite a great showing, Asuka put Moon out for the three-count. Her next opportunity came at TakeOver: Brooklyn III when she met Asuka again in a match that many assumed would be the one that ended Asuka’s unprecedented winning streak. The rivals put on a show-stealer, yet it still wasn’t enough.
It’s now safe to say Asuka’s meteoric rise delayed Moon’s inevitable title reign. Once Asuka moved to Raw and forfeited the title, Moon overcame Nikki Cross, Peyton Royce, and Kairi Sane in a four-way at TakeOver: WarGames in November 2017 to achieve her first taste of gold. Moon’s win was highly satisfying, but many wouldn’t say the same about the reign itself.
The War Goddess spent most of her championship run fending off NXT’s new hot commodity in Shayna Baszler. She can’t completely be called a transitional champ after a successful TV defense against Sonya Deville and even a surprising TakeOver win over Baszler at the Philadelphia event in January 2018. Moon even made history when entering the first-ever Women’s Royal Rumble match as the NXT titleholder.
That was the peak of her NXT accomplishments, though. Moon went on to drop the title to Baszler at TakeOver: New Orleans before debuting on Raw two nights later. She has yet to capture gold on the red or blue brand, but we’re still hopeful that one day she’ll spend more time with gold around her waist as opposed to chasing it.
#6 – Rhea Ripley
No. of days as champion: 58+
Successful title defenses (so far): 1
Notable appearances: Defended at Worlds Collide, appeared on Raw twice
Rhea Ripley may currently be the shortest-reigning NXT Women’s Champion so far, but she’s already etching her name in history. By the time her reign comes to an end, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s worthy of being ranked towards the top.
Ripley had a whirlwind couple of years in NXT. She went from directionless following her debut in the 2017 Mae Young Classic to NXT UK’s top female star and first Women’s Champion just over a year later. The latter half of 2019 was even bigger as Ripley transitioned to NXT TV just in time for the show going live on USA. After her stellar performances at TakeOver: WarGames and Survivor Series, it was only fitting that Ripley was the one to dethrone Shayna Baszler on the final live episode of 2019. Fans will remember her show-closing celebration for years to come.
As NXT Women’s Champ, Ripley has yet to back down from a challenge. She knows she has a huge target on her back, but that doesn’t matter. She was able to put away Toni Storm at Worlds Collide in an act of vengeance for Storm unseating Ripley as UK Women’s Champion the year prior. Post-Royal Rumble, Ripley did something pretty rare and challenged Charlotte Flair to put her title shot on the line against her at WrestleMania.
It was a shocking moment that many fans were hoping for, but it felt almost too perfect to actually happen. The start of their feud has intertwined with Ripley’s continued rivalry with Bianca Belair going into TakeOver: Portland. Ripley’s confidence is unlike that of a typical babyface champion, yet it’s worked well so far.
The sky is the limit for the current titleholder, and I can’t wait to see how the title picture evolves going into WrestleMania 36 weekend.