An unplanned title change on NXT has reportedly caused significant chaos backstage, forcing WWE creative to scramble to adjust weeks of pre-taped programming. Thea Hail defeated Blake Monroe to win the NXT Women’s North American Championship on the December 16 episode, but sources indicate this was not the intended outcome.
According to Fightful Select, the finish happened “at the worst possible time,” as the brand was wrapping up filming for the year to allow talent to go home for the holidays. Because multiple weeks of television had already been taped with Monroe as champion, the creative team was left in a “frantic rush” to edit and reshoot segments to make sense of the new reality.
The confusion was evident immediately, with WWE’s website briefly listing Monroe as the winner even after Hail had her hand raised. Internally, the belief is that Monroe may have had the wind knocked out of her before the kickout, leading to the referee counting to three unexpectedly.
Despite the error, WWE has decided to lean into the result. The post-match confrontation between Hail and Monroe was reportedly added on short notice to capitalize on the moment. Graphics and social media posts were quickly generated to legitimize the title switch.
One NXT higher-up told Fightful that this incident is likely to cause “heavy shifting in policy” moving forward. Talent booked for tapings may now be required to stay until the very end of production to ensure availability for reshoots or adjustments, even if their specific segments are completed early.
A rematch between Hail and Monroe is already being discussed, with many expecting it to take place at NXT New Year’s Evil on January 6, 2026. However, this has not yet been officially confirmed.
Unplanned title changes are rare but not unprecedented in WWE history. Legends like Razor Ramon, Mickie James, and Kevin Owens have all found themselves holding gold under similar circumstances when matches didn’t go according to plan.
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