After weeks of radio silence, WWE NXT GM Ava announced that the Speed titles had found a new home on NXT. The Heatwave announcement halted any speculation around the demise of the WWE Speed Championships, with the news reviving interest in the division. The titles have moved from social media platform X to NXT, suggesting that WWE Creative is looking to implement a new direction for the division.
With Ava’s announcement came an interesting expansion that reflected WWE’s recent acquisitions. The return of the women’s Speed Championship revealed a new #1 contender’s tournament that included representatives from not only WWE, but TNA and AAA, too. Condensing the bracket into four contesting superstars, Ava announced that NXT’s Lainey Reid would take on AAA’s Faby Apache, and SmackDown’s Candice LeRae would battle TNA’s Xia Brookside.
The winners of these two matches will meet in the semi-final, with the tournament winner going on to challenge current champion Sol Ruca at NXT No Mercy on September 27th.
The decision to defend the Speed Championship at a PLE for the first time indicates that WWE is looking to amplify the prestige of the title. And to add to its newfound home on NXT, there were a number of differences to the title’s presentation during its NXT debut.
WWE Speed Moves to NXT: What’s Changed?
The first match of Speed’s NXT era saw LeRae lock up with Brookside, which proved to be a suitable match to kick off the new tournament. Both superstars’ agile qualities made for a bout full of counters and high-flying moves, providing a short and sweet skirmish that ultimately went the way of LeRae. With just under 30 seconds on the clock, LeRae downed Brookside with her trusted Springboard Moonsault, as she continues her mission to reclaim the Speed Championship.
Speed has maintained its three-minute limit for tournament matches, as well as its increase to five for championship fights. However, with the beginning of the NXT era, there were some noticeable changes to the division’s presentation. There were changes to the lights and color scheme for the match as time progressed. Cooler blues and greens marked the opening minute, with the second minute shifting to orange, and the final minute adopting a flaming red.
While Speed is now a part of the NXT schedule, this aspect allowed the championship to stand out as a concept separate from NXT’s other storylines. The presentation gave it more of an identity and personality compared to its previous iteration.
With more tension and urgency to the match, the gimmick of WWE Speed felt more assured and legitimate as opposed to something existing half-heartedly on X.
The condensed brackets for the tournament also suggests that the championships will be defended more frequently than they were. This decision, again, suits the hard and fast style of Speed and provides more opportunities for the titles to gain prestige through defenses.
Opportunity to Promote TNA, AAA & WWE’s Young prospects
While die-hard wrestling fans will be familiar with TNA’s Xia Brookside and AAA’s Faby Apache, the more casual WWE fan might be meeting these wrestlers for the first time in this latest Speed tournament. It may seem obvious to include TNA and AAA, but it’s an effective way to open fans up to these promotions and create rational storytelling connections between the companies.
It’s an exciting prospect for wrestling fans, too. The possibility of all kinds of interesting characters from TNA and AAA clashing under the roof of NXT opens up endless combinations for the titles and bigger cross-promotional storylines.
And as for up-and-coming talents, such as TNA’s Brookside and NXT’s Lainey Reid, it offers an excellent chance for them to broaden their image in the broader context of WWE’s expanding portfolio. However WWE chooses to use the Speed division, there are so many ways that it can positively affect the fortunes of those competing for its titles.
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