WWE News: Championship Has Its Named Changed For Second Time In Less Than A Month
Over the years, there have been many changes within WWE, including the company’s championships. NXT has three different title belts on its brand and one of them is currently held by Rhea Ripley. In the last month, that championship has stayed in her possession, but it has undergone two different name changes. This hints that the promotion may not be entirely sure which direction they’re going.
The women’s division in WWE has seen some drastic changes in the last decade, taking on a much more serious focus. No longer is the division focused on “Divas” but on superstars who can make a huge impact in the world of professional wrestling. With that said, Ripley is a current titleholder in NXT and has been for some time, but the name of her championship has been what’s up in the air. When she won the championship, it was in a match for the NXT Women’s Championship, but WWE didn’t hold onto that name.
At the NXT vs. NXT UK Worlds Collide event last month, WWE referred to the title as the “NXT Championship” even though Adam Cole’s belt has long had that name. It was said that this was being done to show equality between male and female superstars.
Wrestling Inc. reported that the female designation was going to be dropped from the title’s name, according to an internal WWE memo. It appears as if that adjustment has already been done away with, as the belt is once again being called the NXT Women’s Championship.
At WrestleMania 36, Ripley will defend her title against Charlotte Flair, who won the women’s battle royal at this year’s Royal Rumble. It was an unexpected announcement from the former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion, but one that makes for a very interesting match come April.
In this week’s episode of NXT, Flair arrived at Full Sail University to confront Ripley, who was referred to as the NXT Women’s Champion. The announce team made no mention of the name change last month or it going back to its original name in February.
When looking at the official roster page on WWE‘s website, it still states that Ripley is the NXT Women’s Champion. Her run as “NXT Champion” was very brief and only referenced in that fashion during Worlds Collide in late January.
The situation has been brought up on social media this week as well. The official Twitter account for WWE on Fox referred to the black-and-yellow brand’s top female title as the NXT Women’s Championship, but a fan corrected them. However, WWE on Fox replied with an image from the promotion’s website which shows what the title is back to being called.
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) February 5, 2020
For now, Ripley’s belt is going to be called the NXT Women’s Championship — unless otherwise noted.
