WWE NXT Women’s Title Match: Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley

We go right to the ring and out comes Charlotte Flair for the opener. Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton are on commentary. We get a video package showing what led to this match. NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is out next. We get formal ring introductions from Mike Rome.

The bell rings and they go at it. Flair takes Ripley down first and mocks her. They lock up again and trade holds. Flair drops Ripley by her leg and goes for the Figure Four. Ripley kicks her away and asks if she’s kidding. Flair ends up taking Ripley to the corner. Ripley comes right out of the corner and gets in Flair’s face. Flair shoves her and unloads with big chops. Flair goes upside down in the corner but Ripley nails a big boot. Ripley with the Riptide in the middle of the ring but Flair kicks out at 2. Flair rolls to the floor for a breather. Ripley declares this is her ring.

Flair resets the count and Ripley goes out after her. Ripley ends up dropping Flair from the apron and working her over on the floor. Flair fights back. They come back in and Ripley dropkicks her. Ripley beats Flair around and talks trash. Ripley with more offense and a 2 count in the middle of the ring. Ripley kicks Flair several times while she’s on her knees. Ripley with a body scissors and hair grabbing. Flair resists and tries to fight free. Flair uses the ropes on Ripley and stomps away, focusing on her knee. Flair yells at Ripley and taunts her. Ripley kicks but Flair catches it and drives the knee into the mat some more. Ripley counters and swings at Flair’s face. Ripley screams about her knee hurting.

Flair continues to focus on the leg. Ripley kicks free but Flair slams the leg to the mat again. Flair slaps Ripley again and slams her knee against the ring post as the referee warns her. Flair wraps the leg around the ring post once again. Ripley blocks it this time. They go back in and Flair takes the knee out from behind. The referee says he can stop the match but Ripley wants to continue. Flair continues focusing on the knee and yelling at Ripley as the referee warns her. Ripley counters a move and rolls Flair for a 1 count. Flair goes right back to working on Ripley while smiling. Ripley slams Flair face-first to the mat. Ripley is still clutching her knee.

Flair says she never stops or gives up. Ripley fights back to her feet. Flair keeps hitting her with strikes. Ripley does the same but her leg does out to one knee. Flair with a huge chop. Ripley ducks a chop and delivers knee strikes to the face. They trade counters and Ripley connects with two big kicks. Ripley dropkicks Flair and her knee goes out again. Ripley with short-arm clotheslines now. More back and forth now. Flair goes to the top but Ripley rocks her. Ripley gets Flair on her shoulders now, then drops her face-first into the mat for a close 2 count.

Flair rocks Ripley with a big right hand in the corner after more offense between the two. Flair misses a stomp on the leg and Ripley nails another elbow. Ripley goes to the top and hits a missile dropkick for a close 2 count. Ripley shows some frustration now. Ripley runs into another boot. Flair continues working on the leg. Ripley tells the referee to shut up as he checks on her again. Flair keeps going for the legs but Ripley takes her down and stomps away. Ripley finally gets the standing Cloverleaf submission applied. Flair gets free and turns it back around, dropping Ripley.

Flair goes for the Figure Four but Ripley kicks her several times. They trade pin attempts and Flair applies the Boston Crab. It’s broken as they trade more holds and pin attempts. Flair stomps away until Ripley jumps up and nails a big boot for a 2 count. They are both down on the mat now, showing frustration. Ripley unloads in the corner now. They trade more big strikes in the corner. Ripley takes Flair to the top and rocks her. Ripley climbs up and pounds on Flair. Ripley tries for the superplex but Flair resists. Flair slams Ripley to the mat from up high. Flair goes for the big moonsault but Ripley gets her boots up for a shot to the face.

Flair gets up and charges with the Spear for a close 2 count. More back and forth. Flair goes for the Figure Four but Ripley rolls her up for 2. Flair goes for it again and this time gets the Figure Four locked in. They trade shots while on the mat. Flair bridges into the Figure Eight but Ripley hangs on. Ripley finally taps out for the finish.

Winner and New NXT Women’s Champion: Charlotte Flair

– After the match, Flair sits up and takes her title as her music hits. We go to replays. Flair poses with the title as her music hits. Ripley looks on from the mat.

– Tom hypes Charlotte Flair vs. NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 36. He sends us to a replay of then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Flair retaining the title over current WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka at WrestleMania 34 in 2018. We take a commercial break after the first few minutes of the match. We come back and get more of the match, then take another break. We come back and see how Flair ended Asuka’s streak at the big event.

Flair is backstage with Charly Caruso now. Charly asks what was it like for her at WrestleMania 36. Flair says for her it was inspiring. But what was it like for Ripley? Flair is sure Ripley wants to be just like her. Flair touts how she defended her title and broke Asuka’s undefeated streak at the same time. She’s assuming Ripley is excited to be the first NXT champion to defend their title at WrestleMania, but Flair is the master class at making history. Flair goes on bragging about her WrestleMania success and history. Flair says if Rhea needs a history lesson she’s free to watch some of Flair’s legacy matches, she might learn a thing or two. Flair delivers a “Wooo!” and walks off.

– Back from the break and out comes Charlotte Flair as the pyro goes off.

Flair takes the mic and shows us how she attacked WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley after her win over Bianca Belair at “Takeover: Portland” last night. Fans chant “NXT!” and Flair asks if we want to know why they’re chanting that. No? That’s what she thought. Flair says she went to Takeover to see who was filling Ripley’s head with the idea that she can go to RAW and challenge The Queen. Flair got there and was impressed. Then she started to reminisce about everything NXT, and her class that built the foundation for a third brand in WWE. Flair goes on about how they didn’t sacrifice to get NXT the respect it has now, and now Ripley has the audacity to come to Flair’s show and hold up the title that she put on the map. Flair thinks Ripley is very good, but there’s a saying – pride comes before the fall, and she’s going to humble Ripley at WrestleMania 36.

Flair says everyone is the next big thing, until they’re not. Flair does the “Woooo!” as her music starts back up. The announcers hype Flair vs. Ripley at WrestleMania as Flair points up at the sign hanging high from the rafters. Back to commercial.

NXT Women’s Title Match: Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley

We go back to the ring and out first comes Bianca Belair. She stops and spins, showing off the “Black History In The Making” message on the back of her robe. Belair swings her hair and heads to the ring. NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley is out next. They have words as Taylor does formal ring introductions.

The bell rings and they size each other up. They test each other and break, taunting and talking some more. Ripley goes to work on Belair’s arm now, keeping her down and talking trash. Belair counters but Ripley knocks her in the mouth. Belair comes back and slams Ripley for a pop. Belair blocks a comeback in the corner as the referee counts. Belair ends up running into boots in the corner. Ripley drops her with short-arm clotheslines. Belair ducks one but Ripley dropkicks her into the corner.

Ripley stomps away in the corner. Ripley with a big chop to the chest. More back and forth but Ripley drops her again to keep control. More back and forth as they trade power moves. Belair grounds Ripley as the dueling chants continue. We see Belair’s parents at ringside. Ripley rocks Belair back into the corner and finally fights free. Ripley with a big back-drop. Belair charges but Ripley lands two clotheslines. Ripley with knees to the face and a takedown. Ripley with a big dropkick while Belair is down. Ripley powers up with Belair on her shoulders. Ripley slams Belair face-first for another close 2 count.

Ripley manhandles Belair in a submission, slapping her around. Belair finally fights free and sends Ripley into the corner face-first. Belair goes on and hits a big Spinebuster for a close 2 count. Ripley with more offense and another close 2 count. Belair ends up rocking Ripley while placing Ripley on the top. They trade huge strikes while one is on the top and the other on the mat. Belair gets the upperhand and presses Ripley high it the air, then to the mat. Fans go wild for Belair. Belair with a handspring moonsault but Ripley gets her knees up. More back and forth as Belair’s parents watch on. Ripley blocks a KOD. Belair ends up taking a big boot to the mat, but comes right back with a big Spear as they both go down now.

They trade strikes from their knees in the middle of the ring now. Fans chant “this is wrestling!” now. Ripley unloads and nails a superkick in the middle of the ring. Belair with strikes and a forearm. Ripley with another kick after blocking the hair whip. Ripley charges and Belair nails a huge back-drop, sending Ripley high in the air and then to the mat. Belair runs the ropes and leaps out, taking Ripley down on the floor. Belair gets up first but Ripley fights her off. Ripley slams Belair face-first into the steel steps. Ripley brings it back in the ring. Belair kicks Ripley away. Ripley charges but Belair sends her back to the floor through the ropes. Ripley fights in from the apron, sending Belair into the top turnbuckle. Belair cuts Ripley off and climbs up with her. Belair goes for a superplex but Ripley fights back. Ripley with a headbutt. Ripley goes for the sunset powerbomb but Belair holds on. Ripley keeps fighting and grabs the pumphandle. Ripley hits a big Riptide while Belair is on the top for the pin to retain.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

– After the match, Ripley recovers as her music hits. We go to replays. Ripley raises her title but she’s attacked from behind out of nowhere. It’s Charlotte Flair. Flair poses as the crowd goes “Wooo!” at her. Flair takes the mic and says she thought about it and she will see Ripley at WrestleMania. Fans pop as Flair drops the mic. Flair hits Natural Selection on Ripley. Fans boo and cheer as Flair raises the NXT Women’s Title in the air. Flair drops the title on Ripley and makes her exit as the mixed reaction continues. Flair exits the ring but grabs Belair and launches her into the steel steps. The boos get louder now as Flair poses.