It could 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 start last week’s show, and it felt like she was forged aside in favor of the ladies involved within the Women’s NXT Championship picture.
As Zaria was attempting 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 principally told Zaria that she didn’t “have the title she was searching for,” and after briefly giving Zaria some “advice,” began to cut her own promo, asking why she wasn’t within the important women’s title match at Great American Bash.
That brought out the promo parade of Kendal Grey, who’s facing Lola Vice on the premium live event, then the champion herself, each to argue with Jordan as Zaria attempted to get a word in edgewise. It was pretty awkward to observe, and in the long run, the ladies were paired off into heel and babyface teams for the important event of the show, despite Zaria having no involvement with the ladies 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 interrupt it up. Granted, there was no good loser with Zaria as a champion, Grey difficult Vice for the highest 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 finish “NXT” and add insult to injury, Tatum Paxley appeared from the group to chase Zaria after the match, seemingly establishing for an additional bout between the ladies, despite Paxley looking as if 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, no less than — excited for Zaria to finally prove what she will be able to do on her own following Sol Ruca’s call-up to the important roster, and this week’s edition of “NXT” did her no favors. She’s definitely not buried by any means, however it looks like she could have to work a bit of harder than fans could have initially expected, due to WWE’s booking.
Written by Daisy Ruth