In a shocking turn of events, Stephanie Vaquer has lost the NXT Women's Championship to Jacy Jayne on the May 27, 2025 episode of NXT.
How did this go down tonight, what led to this, and what could be on the horizon? Let's break it all down!
How We Got Here:
This match came about over the course of several months of Vaquer clashing on and off with Fatal Influence in various ways. For the most part, La Primera got the upper hand against that whole faction, including when she defeated Fallon Henley for the NXT Women's North American Championship earlier this year at Vengeance Day.
This has been a point of contention within Fatal Influence, as Henley and Jayne have been trading shots at one another over who is better, often citing their history with Vaquer in those moments.
This past weekend at WWE Battleground on Sunday night, Jayne approached Vaquer and slapped her in the face. This led to an announcement that Vaquer would defend her title on tonight's NXT.
Match Details:
During the match, as would be expected, Henley got involved, as did Jazmyn Nyx, who returned tonight after being absent from the past few weeks of shows. However, there was a moment where Henley and Jayne were so busy arguing with each other that they pushed Nyx out of the way just for trying to play the mediator between them.
That interference, combined with some earlier involvement from Dalys and Chik Tormenta from AAA (who Vaquer will face in a tag team match alongside Lola Vice at Worlds Collide) proved to be a heavy factor.
Ultimately, Henley struck a blow that turned the tide of the bout toward Jayne's favor, who picked up a pinfall to the audience's shock.
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
This was even more shocking than Ethan Page winning the NXT North American Championship earlier in the show, which was also something I had assumed wasn't going to happen. Clearly, I was wrong, so take my predictions for these belts with a grain of salt if WWE is pulling the wool over my eyes twice in one night!
I'm a big fan of not only Vaquer, but Jayne and Henley as well. Vaquer has had a great couple of months, and I'm surprised this is how she lost her title, as I had thought Jordynne Grace was the next in line. But now that this happened, not only am I happy for Jayne, as she's an overlooked talent, but I think we might have a road map of where to go next that loops back around to Grace.
My guess is WWE wanted to have a transitional heel champion between Vaquer and Grace, so they chose Jayne as Henley had already held the NXT Women's North American Championship. If they had put the belt on Henley, that would have shown too much favoritism toward her while leaving Jayne without something to call her own, as both had had tag team title runs. This gives her clout and puts her in a position of power that Henley had previously been in.
I do still think we'll see Jayne feud with Henley at some point, and it may even be soon enough with Henley wanting that title. Eventually, whether in a Triple Threat with Jayne and Henley in opposition, after that feud, or before Henley snaps on Jayne, I think Jayne will lose the title to Grace, possibly at NXT Great American Bash coming up in July.
As far as what Stephanie Vaquer does next, outside of Worlds Collide, maybe this is a sign she's going to be called up to the main roster and will join Raw or SmackDown in the coming weeks or months, if WWE ever gets around to announcing the 2025 WWE Draft or decides to do another random trade.
Tell us what you think about this title change by leaving a comment below! Who do you think will be the next in line to challenge for the title, or possibly even win the belt next? Keep the discussion going!