Update regarding the botched finish of Blake Monroe vs. Thea Hail from WWE NXT
As seen during the December 16th 2025 edition of WWE NXT, Thea Hail won the NXT Women’s North American Championship after defeating Blake Monroe. The botched finish led to an unplanned title change.
Fightful.com reports that Monroe claimed she was injured after having the wind knocked out of her on a springboard move, which prevented her from kicking out in time. While the severity of Monroe’s injury is unknown, her and Hail are now scheduled to face each other in a rematch at NXT New Year’s Evil on January 6th 2026.
Fightful noted that “sources in NXT claimed specifically Monroe and those who work on her creative were unhappy with the referee in her match with Thea Hail.” The report addressed backstage discussion about referee Felix Fernandez, with some in NXT claiming there was heat on him for not checking on Monroe. However, Matt Bloom, Shawn Michaels, and other referees reportedly defended Fernandez, saying he handled the situation properly.
— blakey ♡ (@BlakeMonroeWWE) December 23, 2025