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What's the story?
At tonight's NXT UK tapings in Birmingham, the first-ever NXT UK Women's Champion has been crowned following the culmination of a weekend-long tournament between eight competitors vying to stamp their ticket to WWE Evolution to defend the title.
In case you didn't know...
The NXT UK Women's Championship was also confirmed to be defended at the all-women's event WWE Evolution, and WWE this week confirmed that a two-day tournament would determine the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion at the UK’s biggest gaming festival, Insomnia, at NEC Birmingham this weekend.
Eight competitors vied to become the first ever NXT UK Women's Champion, stamping their authority on the brand and clinching their spot at the WWE Evolution pay-per-view - Toni Storm, Jinny, Isla Dawn, Millie McKenzie, Nina Samuels, Dakota Kai, Rhea Ripley and Xia Brookside.
The heart of the matter
WWE has tonight confirmed that the first-ever NXT UK Women's Champion has been crowned at their tapings tonight following a tournament between the aforementioned competitors.
And the inaugural WWE NXT UK Champion is... Rhea Ripley!
For those unfamiliar with Ripley, she signed to the WWE Performance Center last summer ahead of the first-ever Mae Young Classic where she was the youngest competitor involved. The 5-foot-7 powerhouse slammed her way into the second round of the competition when she defeated Miranda Salinas with a full-nelson slam before falling to New Zealand’s Dakota Kai, also currently signed to NXT, in a closely fought match.
Ripley was also involved in this year's Mae Young Classic, and it looks like we'll be seeing a lot more of the Australian Superstar on the WWE Network very soon.
What's next?
Well, the upcoming NXT UK series is set to air on the WWE Network in the near future, but no announcement has been made around a date for the premiere.
Stay tuned to Sportskeeda to stay updated with more information as we get it.
What do you think of Rhea Ripley becoming the first ever NXT UK Women's Champion? Let us know in the comments.
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