Roxanne Perez Beats TNA Star Jordynne Grace to Retain NXT Title at Battleground 2024

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariFeatured Columnist IVJune 10, 2024

Photo credit: WWE.com

Roxanne Perez defeated TNA Knockouts world champion Jordynne Grace at NXT Battleground on Sunday to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.

WWE @WWEWHAT.
JUST.
HAPPENED???

With a little bit of chaos, @roxanne_wwe defeats @JordynneGrace 🤯#NXTBattleground pic.twitter.com/a4g1rD6up4

WWE NXT @WWENXT.@roxanne_wwe and @JordynneGrace put on an absolute clinic!

But it’s The Prodigy who leaves #NXTBattleground STILL the #WWENXT Women’s Champion 😤 pic.twitter.com/hlbeew9xiw

In the weeks leading up to Battleground, Perez was without an obvious opponent, but NXT general manager Ava had something up her sleeve in the form of a major surprise.

An annoyed Perez cut a promo about receiving a lack of respect despite her accolades and the fact that being NXT women’s champion was what she always dreamed off. The Prodigy suggested that it wasn’t right for her to have to wait around for the announcement of her opponent.

Ava finally let the cat out of the bag by bringing out TNA’s Grace to NXT and having her challenge Perez for the top prize in the NXT women’s division.

It marked the second WWE appearance for Grace as a TNA-contracted star, as she previously appeared in the 2024 women’s Royal Rumble match in January as a surprise entrant.

Grace remained in the match for nearly 20 minutes and made a significant impact. She also must have left a positive impression based on WWE’s desire to bring her back into the fold.

Her return also seemed to signal that WWE and TNA are open to a friendly working relationship moving forward, which would have been unthinkable in the 2010s when TNA was the No. 2 wrestling promotion in the United States and even attempted to go head-to-head with WWE on Monday nights at one point.

Getting Grace and the TNA Knockouts title on WWE programming is a major coup for TNA in terms of getting more eyes on one of its top stars, but the partnership could also pay dividends for WWE.

Grace’s arrival gave NXT an anything-can-happen feel, and it stands to reason that WWE could be laying the groundwork to sign Grace when she becomes available.

Battleground represented another opportunity for Grace to showcase her abilities on a bigger stage, and although she fell short against Perez, she once again proved why she is widely viewed as one of the best women’s wrestlers in the world.

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