December 16’s episode of WWE NXT saw the reignition of the long-held rivalry between Toni Storm and Rhea Ripley. The athletes have history, dating back to WWE NXT:UK, and that history informed the emotionally charged match that led to Storm’s victory, aided by Raquel Gonzalez.
Ripley’s victory over Storm for the WWE NXT UK women’s championship began her ascent to notoriety, setting Ripley on the path to be the first woman to defend an NXT title at Wrestlemania, as well as captaining a women’s NXT team against Raw and SmackDown athletes at a Survivor Series event. Though the Genius of the Sky Io Shirai has proved to be as persistent an obstacle to Ripley’s U.S. ascent as Storm ever was in the U.K., there is no doubt that Ripley’s victories over Storm paved the way for her continued achievements in the WWE. Storm, it seemed, finally had her answer for Ripley, but neither did Ripley hold back.
Toni Storm Defeats Rhea Ripley
Both athletes met each other with aggression, Ripley quickly getting Storm into the corner, having to be called off by a referee early in the match. Storm locked her rival in a headlock, but Ripley fought her way out of Storm’s grasp and hit her with a clothesline. The two exchanged chest slaps, and Ripley continued on the offense, delivering a short arm clothesline and a crescent kick to Storm. Storm answered by driving Ripley into the post, sending the Nightmare tumbling off the apron, onto the floor.
Storm was not finished, imbued, as she had stated leading up to the match, with a new, winner takes all attitude. She held Ripley in another headlock, and elbow dropped her. Not down or out, quite yet, Ripley overwhelmed Storm with kicks, knee strikes, and a basement drop. Ripley got a cover on Storm, who kicked out with seconds to spare, frustrating Ripley palpably.
Both athletes collapsed, inert on the mat after Storm delivered a headbutt. When they were back on their feet, they traded punches, and Ripley got her opponent into a brutal cloverleaf hold. Storm fought her way to freedom, and paid Ripley back with a German suplex. Both women were fired up and focused, their legacy of chasing the same championships and brutally knocking each other out of the way for gold informing each aggressive maneuver. Storm threw the towering Ripley, and Ripley dropped Storm into the turnbuckle and delivered three leg drops.
The match was going Ripley’s way, when Raquel Gonzalez entered. The two faced off at War Games, and Gonzalez has been aggressively on the rise, recently defeating Ember Moon with unfettered brutality. Brutality is Ripley’s brand, too, but Gonzalez is also motivated by blind ambition. Ripley had Storm in her sights, set to finish her rival and finish the match, when Gonzalez lifted Ripley and struck her viciously into the post. From there, Storm recovered and effortlessly got a cover on Ripley, winning the encounter.
As the victory bell ceased to ring, Gonzalez unblinkingly stared down Rhea Ripley. Clearly, Gonzalez considers the accomplished Ripley an obstacle in her rapid rise on the NXT roster. Not only was the gauntlet thrown once again between Ripley and Storm, but Rhea is in Gonzalez’s crosshairs, as well.
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