Sunday, June 9th, WWE will make history. It will be the 7th Battleground event in WWE and the 2nd annual NXT PLE.
This event will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and for the first time, at the UFC Apex. This is thanks to the partnership between UFC and WWE’s sister company under TKO Group Holdings.
Speaking of firsts, NXT Battleground will crown the first ever inaugural NXT Women’s North American Champion. This will be the secondary championship in the NXT women’s division as a midcard championship.
Six of NXT’s very best will compete in a six-pack ladder match to determine the very first-ever NXT North American Champion. Although all 6 participants are deserving of the championship, some deserve it more than the others.
In this ranking, we will determine who is most likely to win at NXT Battleground.
Ranking: All 6 NXT Women’s North American Title Participants
6th: Kelani Jordan
The least likely to win the very first NXT Women’s North American Championship has to be Kelani Jordan. She qualified by defeating Wren Sinclair.
No disrespect to Jordan but she has the least experience out of the 6 participants. Jordan is a great wrestler with quick high-flying maneuvers.
She has a unique wrestling skillset which is probably inspired by her gymnast background at Michigan State University. Her high-flying skillset and speed will be a force in the ladder match, but her inexperience could cost her the match.
In most of the matches Jordan has lost, she has made rookie mistakes and she is easily distracted by outside distractions. Aside from that, she is also 5-foot-5, Jordan is the smallest competitor and the least strongest of the 6.
Although she could be a future NXT Women’s champion in a couple of years, there are 5 other women with more experience and better in-ring abilities than 25-year-old Jordan.
5th: Michin
Next at 5th is the 35-year-old veteran Michin. This SmackDown superstar qualified by beating Tatum Paxley. The veteran wrestler has what it takes to win it all.
She is a former Knockouts Champion in TNA Wrestling (Impact Wrestling). However, her outside success has not really translated to WWE Success. Michin has yet to win a championship in WWE and NXT.
Even being in the OC with Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and AJ Styles, Michin has yet to thrive in this company. The OC member, Michin, is a fantastic wrestler with a hybrid wrestling style: high-flying and technical but she has yet to make a big impression with the WWE Universe.
It might be because, although she is one of the better wrestlers in the match, her mic skills and character could use a bit more work. Since she is technically still in the SmackDown roster, it is very doubtful NXT will hand her the NXT Women’s North American Championship.
Michin is in the match as a veteran to help elevate the future so winning is probably not in the books for Michin in Las Vegas.
4th: Lash Legend
The 5th and 6th spot were easy to decipher but getting into the top four was harder to predict. I could see all four stars walking out as NXT Women’s North American champion at NXT Battleground.
With that being said at number four is Lash Legend. Legend would qualify by defeating Ivy Nile. Ever since aligning herself with Meta-Four and her current storyline with the NXT World Champion Trick Williams, Legend has made a name for herself.
Aside from being the tallest participant in the ladder match at 6 feet tall, Legend is also the strongest. Her athletic build and power make her a favorite in this matchup. However, her distractions with Trick Williams and Meta-Four might cost her at NXT Battleground.
3rd: Jaida Parker
Out of all the women in the ladder match, the most complete star is Jaida Parker. This superstar easily qualified by defeating Brinley Reece.
The 25-year-old member of OTM is a great wrestler, great on the mic, and her character work is fantastic. She has a mixed style of speed, power, and technical abilities.
Jaida Parker is a star in the making for NXT. Parker first arrived in NXT at the 2023 NXT Women’s Breakout tournament and, since then, has only gotten better and better.
The WWE universe has taken notice of Parker, and it won’t be surprising if she would walk out as the new NXT Women’s North American Champion. However, there are two superstars who I would rank above her only because they have more TV time and NXT seems more focused on them.
2nd: Fallon Henley
Obviously, the most improved wrestler out of the bunch at number two is Fallon Henley. Henley qualified by defeating Thea Hail.
Henley is a technical wrestler with high-flying abilities. From the beginning of NXT to now, there is a whole new Henley. For the majority of her time in NXT, she was in a faction with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.
During that time, Henley even became a NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion with Kiana James. She was the babyface who helped everyone in need putting others over herself. However, that quickly changed.
Henley’s new attitude as a heel who only cares about herself has done wonders for her career. Now, she is in the ladder match to determine the first-ever NXT Women’s North American Champion and she is one of the front-runners.
As a babyface, she kind of just blended into the NXT roster but now she is making a name for herself as a heel. New Year, New Fallon, New Champion?
1st: Sol Ruca
At number one, I have none other than Sol Ruca. The 2023 Rookie of the Year qualified by defeating Izzi Dame.
Ruca is the youngest in the competition at just 24 years old but she is also the most gifted. Just like Parker, Ruca has it all. She has the look, the mic skills, and the wrestling abilities.
Her wrestling style is best suited for this ladder match. At 5-foot-9, she is the second tallest behind Legend, but she is one of the quickest in the match like Jordan. Ruca is a speedy high-flyer with incredible technical abilities.
Her finisher the Sol Snatcher is a modifier RKO/Diamond Cutter hybrid we have yet to see before. Sol Ruca is a fan favorite who has been on fire since her return from injury. It should be of no surprise if Ruca walks out as the first-ever NXT Women’s North American Champion.
