It may seem wild to call Zaria a loser after she just finally won the Women’s North American Championship on the June 8 edition of “WWE NXT,” but her victory celebration was cut short to begin last week’s show, and it felt like she was cast aside in favor of the women involved in the Women’s NXT Championship picture.
As Zaria was trying to cut her first promo as champion, still a heel, despite the loud chants of “you deserve it,” she was interrupted by the first-ever Women’s NA Champion, Kelani Jordan. Jordan basically told Zaria that she didn’t “have the title she was looking for,” and after briefly giving Zaria some “advice,” started to cut her own promo, asking why she wasn’t in the main women’s title match at Great American Bash.
That brought out the promo parade of Kendal Grey, who is facing Lola Vice at the premium live event, then the champion herself, both to argue with Jordan as Zaria attempted to get a word in edgewise. It was pretty awkward to watch, and in the end, the women were paired off into heel and babyface teams for the main event of the show, despite Zaria having no involvement with the women or their title feud before the segment.
It only got worse for Zaria from there. She took the pin off Vice’s 305, despite Jordan’s attempts to break it up. Granted, there was no good loser with Zaria as a champion, Grey challenging Vice for the top women’s title, and Jordan in contention for the gold, as well. Still, it was disappointing for Zaria to take the pin, and it didn’t make her look great following her first-ever title victory.
To end “NXT” and add insult to injury, Tatum Paxley appeared from the crowd to chase Zaria after the match, seemingly setting up for another bout between the women, despite Paxley looking as though she was saying “goodbye” to the Performance Center crowd following her title loss. While Paxley is beloved, running the match back after Zaria’s victory feels pretty stale.
Fans are — or were, at least — excited for Zaria to finally prove what she can do on her own following Sol Ruca’s call-up to the main roster, and this week’s edition of “NXT” did her no favors. She’s certainly not buried by any means, but it feels like she may have to work a little harder than fans may have initially expected, thanks to WWE’s booking.
Written by Daisy Ruth
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