More Backstage Details on Fallout From Thea Hail vs. Blake Monroe & Title Change on Last Night’s WWE NXT

The pro wrestling world is buzzing over the shocking finish of the NXT Women’s North American Title bout on last night’s WWE NXT TV. Thea Hail scored a huge upset, beating Blake Monroe to capture the title.

However, it appears the planned finish was botched, with the referee counting three after Hail hit Monroe with her signature backwards drop from the second rope, and it appears Monroe was not able to kick out or counter the move in time. Monroe’s music also immediately started playing after the pinfall, but then it changed to Hail’s music after she was declared the winner.

Fightful Select has more details on the reportedly botched finish and the fallout from it. One NXT staff member informed Fightful that the situation happened at “the worst possible time,” as NXT was wrapping up filming for 2025, so the roster could return home for the Christmas break.

Additionally, it’s said that the NXT creative team had finalized weeks of programming that had already been filmed. The report explains that after the title change and Hail winning, there was a “pretty frantic rush” to correct elements that had been filmed that would no longer make sense due to the title change. WWE also had to correct a brief error on the company’s website, which indicated that Monroe won and retained her title.

An earlier report by PWInsider noted that the wind was knocked out of Blake Monroe, leading to the botched finish and kick-out attempt. Fightful Select reports that it appears to be the belief internally, but it hasn’t been confirmed.

In the wake of the unplanned finish, WWE reportedly made the quick decision to lean into, by blasting the results on the company’s socials and making clips showcasing Thea Hail as the winner. There was also the post-match segment featuring an incredulous Blake Monroe confronting Hail and Jordynne Grace when she was being interviewed on her victory.

The interview segment between Hail and Monroe was obviously not planned for the show, but it was put together and performed on short notice, being added to The CW broadcast.

Fightful’s report also notes that an NXT higher-up said that the incident will likely cause a heavy shift in policy among the wrestlers, and wrestlers will likely now be required to stay until the end of the TV tapings moving forward. NXT’s pre-tapes are usually done on Mondays, and talents that take part in them are usually required to stay through the TV taping the following day.

Will Blake Monroe Get Her Rematch Against Thea Hail?

With regards to what’s next for Thea Hail and Blake Monroe, it’s said by Fightful Select that a title rematch is already being discussed internally. During the post-match interview segment, the infuriated Monroe also mentioned to Hail that she wants her rematch. Fightful reports that many sources they’ve spoken to expect Hail vs. Monroe II to happen at NXT New Year’s Evil. However, it has not yet been confirmed.

An impromptu title change caused by a botched finish isn’t unprecedented in WWE. It’s happened in the past with Men on a Mission, Mickie James, Razor Ramon, Hardcore Holly, Kevin Owens, and others, winning titles when it was not the originally planned result. Also, there have been instances where pins were botched when wrestlers didn’t kick out as planned, so referees didn’t finish counting the pins, which has happened multiple times on WWE programming.