UNIONDALE, N.Y. — In many ways, NXT is the cradle of the Women’s Evolution, so it’s fitting that Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship Match — the first such defense of the title on a WWE pay-per-view — was an epic confrontation that ended in historic fashion when Baszler defeated The Pirate Princess to become the first-ever two-time NXT Women’s Champion. And she did it with a little help from her friends.
Baszler, who insisted her title loss to Sane was a fluke, didn’t hesitate to try to put the match away early, attempting the Kirifuda Clutch at every turn and mangling The Pirate Princess’ arm with a grisly combination of keylocks and stomps. Sane had already tapped into her own killer instinct to take the title in the first place, so she was able to fight back and keep it close. Unfortunately, the damage to her arm took some of the power out of Sane’s maneuvers, and she attempted to compensate during a scrap outside the ring by dumping The Queen of Spades over the barricade and into the front row, where the women of NXT were watching. This was a mistake.
In a vicious fight between Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship, action spills out into the WWE Universe: Courtesy of WWE Network.
Among the individuals Baszler had collided with were Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, two of Baszler’s fellow Four Horsewomen of MMA. Unwilling to let this slight slide, they quickly got involved, grabbing Sane by the hair, cutting off her momentum as she went to attempt the InSane Elbow, and, in Duke’s case, landing a cheap shot that sent The Pirate Princess stumbling into a Kirifuda Clutch that did its work and put her to sleep to give Baszler the victory.
While Sane stirred back to consciousness, The Queen of Spades embraced Duke and Shafir outside the ring, walking back up the ramp with her friends at her side and her title in her clutches. Clearly, she was under no illusions as to why and how she reclaimed the NXT Women’s Title. She also didn’t care.
UNIONDALE, N.Y. — In many ways, NXT is the cradle of the Women’s Evolution, so it’s fitting that Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship Match — the first such defense of the title on a WWE pay-per-view — was an epic confrontation that ended in historic fashion when Baszler defeated The Pirate Princess to become the first-ever two-time NXT Women’s Champion. And she did it with a little help from her friends.
Baszler, who insisted her title loss to Sane was a fluke, didn’t hesitate to try to put the match away early, attempting the Kirifuda Clutch at every turn and mangling The Pirate Princess’ arm with a grisly combination of keylocks and stomps. Sane had already tapped into her own killer instinct to take the title in the first place, so she was able to fight back and keep it close. Unfortunately, the damage to her arm took some of the power out of Sane’s maneuvers, and she attempted to compensate during a scrap outside the ring by dumping The Queen of Spades over the barricade and into the front row, where the women of NXT were watching. This was a mistake.
In a vicious fight between Shayna Baszler and Kairi Sane for the NXT Women's Championship, action spills out into the WWE Universe: Courtesy of WWE Network.
Among the individuals Baszler had collided with were Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke, two of Baszler’s fellow Four Horsewomen of MMA. Unwilling to let this slight slide, they quickly got involved, grabbing Sane by the hair, cutting off her momentum as she went to attempt the InSane Elbow, and, in Duke’s case, landing a cheap shot that sent The Pirate Princess stumbling into a Kirifuda Clutch that did its work and put her to sleep to give Baszler the victory.
While Sane stirred back to consciousness, The Queen of Spades embraced Duke and Shafir outside the ring, walking back up the ramp with her friends at her side and her title in her clutches. Clearly, she was under no illusions as to why and how she reclaimed the NXT Women’s Title. She also didn’t care.
