Since signing with WWE a year ago, Giulia has done a lot of incredible things. In NXT, she accomplished a lot of things in a few short months. She won the Women’s Iron Survivor Challenge at NXT Deadline only three months after confronting Roxanne Perez at NXT No Mercy. A month after that, she took Perez’s Women’s NXT Championship away from her. She ended up holding it for 63 days before Stephanie Vaquer beat her at NXT Roadblock.
It wasn’t long before she debuted on the main roster, with her officially becoming a SmackDown wrestler in May. Since then, she has had a good showing at Money in the Bank and captured the Women’s North American Championship shortly after. Her latest defense came on the September 5, 2025, episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown against Michin. Was she too much for her, or did she walk away with the victory?
The Numbers Game was Advantageous for Giulia
A couple of weeks ago, Kiana James made her return to SmackDown after being out for over a year with an injury. She came back in a managerial role as the representative for Giulia. This was a good decision, as pairing her with someone as talented as Giulia could elevate James as she becomes more familiar with both the main roster and its audience.
This wasn’t just an out-of-the-blue title defense. On August 29, 2025, the episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown, James had her first televised match since June 2024 against Michin. It didn’t go too well, as she got within seconds of the match starting.
That didn’t please Giulia at all, as both women ended up attacking Michin afterwards. That led to Friday’s match for the Women’s United States Championship. The match went back and forth, but with James lurking on the outside, everyone was wondering how she would come into play. Michin, remembering the attack from the previous week, wasn’t going to let her forget what happened. She bounced James onto the ropes via her knees. That turned out to be a big mistake.
She turned around and immediately got hit with the Arrivederci knee strike. Giulia went for the cover and got the pin, retaining the Women’s United States Championship. James’s presence helped Giulia out in a big way. Michin getting too distracted ended up costing her the match and the title. For right now, the pairing of Giulia and James is successful. Things might change, but if they work well together, Giulia might have a long reign as Women’s United States Champion.
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