WWE: 5 perfect challengers for new NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair

Shotzi Blackheart

One of the newer names in NXT, Shotzi Blackheart has been slowly proving herself with every possible opportunity. Despite only having joined the industry in 2015, Blackheart became one of the most widely known female wrestlers on the independent scene.

Just last week, this spunky green-haired spitfire competed in an amazing six-woman gauntlet match. Blackheart opened the gauntlet and ran through Aliyah, Deonna Purrazzo, Kayden Carter, and Xia Li before the final entrant Dakota Kai, and an assist from Raquel Gonzalez, dashed her hopes of victory.

Despite the loss, Shotzi Blackheart got to show not only her in-ring skill but her stamina and resilience, all things she’d need in a match with Charlotte Flair. As much as I’d love to see her take the title, I’d expect Shotzi Blackheart to come up short against Charlotte Flair, but not before pushing “The Queen” further than she expected to be pushed.

Sasha Banks

So far, I’ve looked at potential challengers from NXT and one from Raw, leaving SmackDown left to provide someone to face Charlotte Flair. There’s no better person on the SmackDown roster to fill that spot than “The Boss” Sasha Banks.

A former NXT Women’s Champion in her own right, Banks actually won that title back in 2015 at NXT TakeOver: Rival. That match included each of the NXT Four Horsewomen, but in the end it saw Banks pin then-champion Charlotte Flair to take the win and become the new NXT Women’s Champion.

At WrestleMania 36, we saw more seeds for the eventual implosion and return of the rivalry between Sasha Banks and Bayley. Ideally, that should be saved for SummerSlam, and it would be a perfect detour for Banks to target NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and attempt to take back the title she ultimately lost to Bayley.