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If it wasn’t already true, it is now: NXT is the strongest women’s division on the WWE roster. From talent to booking, NXT’s concerted effort to bring in and spotlight international talent has yielded a pair of undeniable new champions: Women’s Champion Giulia, and the newly minted Women’s North American Champion Stephanie Vaquer. While Giulia’s arrival in NXT has been telegraphed since her cameo at 2024 Stand and Deliver, Vaquer’s arrival at WWE was a decidedly shocking one that came almost immediately after wrestling Mercedes Moné at AEW Forbidden Door.
Stephanie Vaquer’s Rise in NXT as the New North American Champion
But though her path to WWE may have been a surprising one, it’s taken just a few short months for Vaquer to claim her rightful spot at the top of the NXT roster. With her heavy metal entrance music, bejeweled horns, and unshakable self-confidence, Vaquer has an innate, undeniable, un-teachable star quality that makes her a magnetizing force before she even steps foot in the ring. That it’s taken even this long for her to claim gold in WWE feels wrong, but at long last, Vaquer knocked off Fatal Influence’s Fallon Henley at NXT Vengeance Day to claim her first WWE title.
In addition to being Vaquer’s first WWE title, Chile’s Dark Angel nabbing the North American Championship marks the first time a South American has held gold in the WWE. It seemed like an inevitability that rivals-turned allies Vaquer and Giulia would end up at the top of the food chain, the only question now is: what’s next? For Giulia, that immediate future seems clear: as Roxanne Perez departs for Raw, Cora Jade is itching to get her hands on the NXT Women’s Championship.
But for Vaquer, even her first challenger seems like a mystery. Tatum Paxley stood tall with Fallon Henley’s North American Championship a few weeks ago and is surely itching for a title shot, but Jordynne Grace also crashed the closing moments of Vengeance Day to confront both Vaquer and Giulia. NXT’s other big international signing, Zaria, would seem like a strong challenger, but if her blossoming storyline with Sol Ruca is any indication, she’ll be in the tag division for the foreseeable future.
Regardless of who Shawn Michaels throws Vaquer’s way, though, they’ll need to be ready to up their game. This time last year, wrestlers like Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, Gigi Dolin, and Jacy Jayne seemed prime for a title push: with Vaquer on the roster, it’s step up or get stepped on.
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