WWE is one step closer to crowning a new number contender to the Women’s Speed Championship.
A new Women’s Speed tournament kicked off tonight with two first round matches on “WWE NXT”: Izzi Dame vs. Thea Hail and Arianna Grace vs. Layla Diggs. Hail burst out of the gate with a pair of roll-ups and a clothesline on Dame, to which the Culling member responded with a facebuster. As the clock ticked down to the two-minute mark, Hail regained momentum when she cinched in an armbar, then followed with a Kimura Lock on the outside. To break the latter hold, Dame rammed Hail into the side of the ring and blasted her with a boot to the face.
The action for this first round bout quickly returned to the ring with Hail dodging a dropkick from Dame to hit one of her own. Hail’s offense continued with a sling blade, which earned her a near fall, and a headbutt. When Hail took flight with her springboard senton, however, the landing missed, thus allowing Dame to charge in with a running knee for the win.
Later in the show, Layla Diggs took on Birthright’s Arianna Grace. Both women went for quick roll-up attempts in the early goings, and in each case, both women kicked out. Grace later gained the upper hand with a flying shoulder, a splash in the corner, and a forearm strike. Diggs answered with a step-up enzuigiri and an athletic flying kick. When Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo tried to interfere on Grace’s behalf, he ate a boot to the face from Diggs instead. The “NXT” newcomer then took it upon herself to wipe out all the Birthright men with a moonsault. Back in the ring, Grace feigned a moment of motionlessness to surprise Diggs with an inside cradle to secure her the victory.
Next week, Dame will face Grace in the finals of the Women’s Speed Championship tournament. The winner of that bout will go on the challenge Wren Sinclair for the title at the “NXT” Great American Bash, set for June 28.
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