Kendal Grey is the new NXT Women’s Champion after defeating Lola Vice at the “WWE NXT” Great American Bash on June 28. The journey to her crowning moment didn’t come without some early setbacks, though.
“This is like my third time trying to chase the NXT Women’s Championship,” Grey said on “Busted Open Radio.” “The first time was against Jacy Jayne at New Year’s Evil, lost. Stand and Deliver in a triple threat against Lola and Jacy, lost. So in this moment, when I was going into this match, I was like it’s all or nothing. Third time is the charm, so I knew I was going to do everything in my power to try to get that pin. And when I heard the one, two, three, I was smiling ear to ear, I was speechless. Hearing the crowd, hearing all the energy in there, it was a moment that I’ll never forget for sure.
Grey earned her first title opportunity by emerging as the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge winner at “NXT” Deadline last December. Then-NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne went on to retain the title over Grey thanks to outside help from her Fatal Influence stablemates Fallon Henley and Lainey Reid.
Henley and Reid interfered once more when Grey and Vice challenged Jayne for the gold in a triple threat match at “NXT” Stand & Deliver. Still, Vice pinned Jayne at the event to cement herself as the new NXT Women’s Champion and Grey, a former amateur wrestler, as 0-2 in her attempts.
Carrying The NXT Women’s Title Is ‘Reassuring’ To Grey
With her third try yielding an NXT Women’s Championship win, Grey feels more empowered than ever before in her WWE career. Moreover, she sees it as a sign of validation that her hard work, which began in 2023, is paying off.
“[Carrying the championship] is reassurance that they see that I am coming in here and working hard every single day,” Grey said. “I feel like the journey to the NXT Women’s Championship didn’t start a month ago or didn’t start six months ago when I started chasing it. It started two-and-a-half years ago when I walked into the Performance Center. I love this business. I’m very passionate. I am so open minded and always wanting to learn more. I feel like I come in here every single day trying to really learn, trying to pick everybody’s brain around me, trying to get as much experience as I can. So knowing that they see that in me, it’s reassuring.”
As Grey now takes on the role as the NXT Women’s Champion, she aims to showcase a different style of wrestling, which has sometimes been compared to that of WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, within the “NXT” women’s division competitions. She additionally wants to elevate the championship that sits around her waist, much like many women have done before her.
Before capturing the NXT Women’s Title, Grey held the EVOLVE Women’s Championship for several months. Earlier this year, she then relinquished it in order to dedicate herself to a full-time schedule with the “NXT” brand.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Busted Open Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
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