The fallout continues from Tuesday night’s unexpected ending to the NXT Women’s North American Championship match, and new details suggest WWE may be preparing to adjust its backstage procedures as a result.
During WWE NXT, Thea Hail shocked viewers by defeating Blake Monroe to capture the Women’s North American Title. While the result appeared to be a major upset on screen, it was not the planned finish. The referee counted the pinfall after Hail hit her backwards drop from the second rope, with Monroe unable to respond in time. The confusion was immediately noticeable, as Monroe’s entrance theme briefly played before being cut off and replaced by Hail’s music once the decision was finalized.
According to Fightful Select, the timing of the mistake couldn’t have been worse. One NXT staffer described it as happening at “the worst possible time,” noting that NXT was in the middle of wrapping up its 2025 television tapings before the roster departed for the Christmas holiday.
The report states that several weeks of future NXT episodes had already been locked in creatively. Once the unplanned title change occurred, there was reportedly a “pretty frantic rush” behind the scenes to rework pre-taped material that had been built around Monroe remaining champion. WWE even briefly listed Monroe as retaining the title on its website before correcting the information.
Previous reports indicated Monroe had the wind knocked out of her during the move, which likely explains why she was unable to kick out before the referee’s count.
Rather than reversing course, WWE chose to lean into the outcome. Hail’s championship win was quickly promoted across NXT’s social media channels, and highlight clips were released almost immediately. The broadcast also included a post-match angle showing a stunned Monroe confronting Hail and Jordynne Grace during Hail’s victory interview.
Notably, that interview segment was not part of the original plan for the episode. Fightful reports it was assembled on short notice and added to the CW Network broadcast once the decision was made to move forward with Hail as champion.
One NXT executive reportedly believes the incident could spark a meaningful change in protocol. Going forward, talent may be required to remain backstage until all TV tapings are fully completed. Currently, NXT pre-tapes are filmed on Mondays, with wrestlers typically expected to stay through the following night’s live television taping — a policy that may now be enforced more strictly in the wake of this situation.
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