Results & Analysis

Tuesday night gave the women’s division plenty to talk about. From OVW to WWE NXT, we saw a submission victory, an unexpected tag team pairing, championship action, and new title challengers beginning to emerge.

Here’s what went down.

OVW: Lovely Larkan vs. Joiya Blake

Joiya Blake controlled long stretches of the match with her power, connecting with a beautiful suplex, a massive headbutt, and boots straight to the face.

But Blake wasn’t only dealing with Larkan. At ringside, Tommy Boy DeNiro continued to make his presence known, shouting and creating another distraction Blake had to work around.

Larkan used those opportunities to stay alive. From pulling Blake’s hair to connecting with her signature “Lark Chop” and driving her heels into Blake’s midsection, she found different ways to slow down Blake’s momentum.

After Larkan attempted a roundhouse kick, she eventually caught Blake and transitioned into a brutal submission combination, forcing Blake to tap out.

Result: Lovely Larkan defeats Joiya Blake via submission.

Blake may have controlled much of the action, but Larkan found the opening that mattered most.

Mixed Tag Team: Who’s Your Partner?

Before the match could even begin, Lizzy Rain had one major problem: where was Shawn Spears?

Rain searched for her scheduled partner, but Spears was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, The Culling took the opportunity to gloat over her frustration.

With no partner in sight, Rain decided she was going at it alone—but how smart of an idea was that?

The bell hadn’t even rung and these ladies were already ready to tear each other apart.

Once the match started, Rain wasted no time, taking Izzie Dame off her feet with a running dropkick. It didn’t take long for Dame’s power to become a factor, though. She stopped Rain’s attempt at a vertical drop before repeatedly driving her into the steel ring post.

Dame went straight for the cover, but Rain stayed alive.

The two exchanged blows in the center of the ring before Rain started building momentum again, connecting with a springboard back elbow.

What looked like it was becoming a singles match quickly changed when EK Prosper stepped in as Rain’s partner.

Despite having no history of working together, the unexpected duo found their rhythm.

Prosper came in hot as Niko Vance attempted to attack, immediately bringing a different pace to the match. Vance tried to use his size to shut him down, but Prosper continued fighting back.

In the closing moments, Prosper unloaded with stiff chops, a jumping heel kick and a blockbuster. Rain and Prosper then connected with matching stereo tornado DDTs.

Rain followed with her Thunderstruck knee strike on Vance before EK Prosper connected with a shining wizard and finished things with a standing moonsault for the pinfall.

Result: Lizzy Rain & EK Prosper defeat The Culling at 11:05.

An absent partner could have left Rain at a major disadvantage. Instead, an unexpected pairing walked away with the victory.

NXT Women’s Championship Picture Gets Crowded

Lizzy Rain barely had time to celebrate before attention shifted toward the NXT Women’s Championship.

Kali Armstrong interrupted the celebration and entered the ring with a message for NXT Women’s Champion Kendal Grey:

Now that Lola is out of the picture, Armstrong wants her title opportunity.

But she wasn’t the only one.

Kelani Jordan made her way to the ring with championship intentions of her own. Both women believed they had earned the opportunity, but once Kendal Grey entered the conversation, Jordan quickly emerged as a potential challenger for Heatwave.

Words eventually turned physical, ending the segment in a brawl and making one thing clear: Grey’s championship has plenty of attention surrounding it.

With Heatwave approaching, the question is no longer whether Kendal Grey has a challenger—it’s who will get to her first?

Wren Sinclair vs. Zaria — NXT Women’s North American Championship

Zaria walked into the match with confidence as she looked to retain the NXT Women’s North American Championship.

As soon as the bell rang, the powerhouse charged toward Wren Sinclair. Sinclair knew she couldn’t afford to play Zaria’s game and immediately looked for ways to put the match away.

Zaria quickly took control, using headbutts and targeting Sinclair’s arms to wear her down. Early in the match, the difference in power was clear.

Sinclair attempted to steal the victory with a quick cover, but Zaria kicked out and regained control.

As the match continued, Sinclair had to find ways to survive Zaria’s strength while the champion continued applying pressure. Just when Sinclair found another opening, chaos outside the ring changed everything.

A ringside fight between Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox spilled toward the action. Cutler James attempted to interfere with a steel chair, but Sinclair dropkicked him.

That brief distraction was all Zaria needed.

She caught Sinclair, hoisted her onto her shoulders and delivered an F-5 to secure the pinfall and retain her championship.

Result: Zaria defeats Wren Sinclair to retain the NXT Women’s North American Championship.

Sinclair may have lost the match, but the way it ended left unfinished business.

The Aftermath: Winner Takes All

A frustrated Sinclair demanded another opportunity—this time without outside interference.

After taking her case to NXT General Manager Robert Stone, the stakes became even bigger.

Zaria and Wren Sinclair will meet again at NXT Heatwave on August 30 in a Winner-Takes-All match, with the NXT Women’s North American Championship and WWE Women’s Speed Championship on the line.

One match wasn’t enough to settle this.

At Heatwave, one woman could leave with everything.