The last time WWE fans saw Blake Monroe in a match was on the April 21, 2026 episode of NXT. She faced then-NXT Women’s North American Champion Tatum Paxley in a casket match for the title and lost. Afterward, she was sent off to the main roster, where vignettes were played for her arrival on Friday Night SmackDown. Eventually, she made her debut on the May 22 SmackDown in a backstage segment with Chelsea Green.
She attacked Giulia and Kiana James two weeks later, but that was the last time she was seen in the ring on television. Since then, she’s made her presence known with a series of backstage attacks, with the latest one being against Candice LeRae last Friday. LeRae has to deal with both her demotivated husband and Monroe, which is probably stressful. She’s attacking everyone backstage, but doing nothing in the ring.
Is this an effective strategy or will it be time wasted as she should be competing in matches?
Blake Monroe’s Athleticism is on Full Display with the Attacks
Monroe arrived at NXT in June of last year after a successful run in AEW. She was the AEW Women’s Champion for 174 days, both winning it from and dropping it to Toni Storm.
Four months after her arrival, she beat Zaria for the NXT Women’s North American Championship, a match that turned out to be a huge part of why Zaria betrayed Sol Ruca four months afterward. She ended up holding the title for 52 days, losing it to Thea Hail in a legitimate accidental pinfall.
Those title reigns showed how powerful she is in the ring. The recent backstage attacks show how she can be outside the ring. They’ve been happening for several weeks to build anticipation for her eventual in-ring debut on the main roster. Some might say WWE is wasting time with this, but she is proving that she can attack anyone at any time. When she eventually wrestles on SmackDown, she’ll do so after many displays of power in the backstage area.
She Should Be in the Ring with the Main Roster Talent
A month after she made her NXT debut, Monroe and Jordynne Grace beat Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne at the Great American Bash. For someone to have their first televised match on a PLE shows fans that WWE thinks she can do big things. Her many accomplishments in NXT definitely showed that. However, she hasn’t done that on the main roster because she hasn’t wrestled.
The only time she’s been in a SmackDown ring was in a dark match before the May 15 SmackDown, where she beat Grace.
That means she hasn’t wrestled in over two months. She could’ve still done the backstage attacks, but getting in dark matches with talent would’ve gotten her used to what the WWE main roster is about. NXT was different, as mostly everyone is learning the WWE style. On the main roster, some women have spent over a decade in the company. Monroe should’ve been in consistent dark matches to get her ready for her eventual in-ring debut.
How WWE Should’ve Handled the Blake Monroe Debut
The past couple of weeks have seen Monroe attack many wrestlers in the backstage area, leaving them down after many punches were thrown. Some fans have liked what’s been happening, while others aren’t fans. The attacks could be an advantage, as both her AEW and NXT runs have shown how impressive she is in the ring.
Both of those runs produced championship reigns that were filled with great matches. WWE sees a lot of potential in her, which is why some people don’t like her backstage attacks.
Since being called up, she’s wrestled in one dark match two months ago, which isn’t a good thing. The June 2 SmackDown had her in the ring attacking Giulia and James, but she hasn’t been seen outside of the backstage attacks since then. Monroe’s attacks will build anticipation for her in-ring debut on SmackDown, but they’ve hurt her as she hasn’t had a dark match in months to prepare for a main roster run.
