WWE NXT kicked things off with a battle of bad blood and Championship hopes, as Jaida Parker and Jordynne Grace battled for a chance to challenge Stephanie Vaquer for her NXT Women’s Championship. Vaquer was supposed to reveal her Stand & Deliver opponent after the match, but that never happened thanks to the shocking return of former NXT Women’s Champion Giulia, who made her return from injury only to turn heel and attack her friend. You can watch the full video above.
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Grace and Parker have been going back and forth for a few weeks now, and the rivalry has grown more bitter every single week. Grace and Parker both made their cases to be Vaquer’s next challenger, and Ava Raine had them face each other this week so Vaquer could make the final decision.
Parker and Grace had a physical match, with some impressive feats of strength throughout. There was one point where it appeared Grace might have it locked, but then Vaquer ended up being attacked by Grace.
That’s when some familiar music hit, and it was indeed Giulia running to the ring. Giulia was greeted warmly by Vaquer, but Giulia shocked Stephanie and everyone else in the crowd when she gave Vaquer a headbutt that left her reeling. Giulia then hit Vaquer with a Northern Lights Bomb and put her foot on Vaquer’s head as she held up the NXT Women’s Championship.
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Parker and Grace were completely shocked at ringside, and Vaquer was obviously surprised that her friend attacked her at all, nonetheless so viciously. Giulia didn’t mince words in her promo later in the night either, so whatever friendship the two had before is not standing in the way of Giulia’s Championship aspirations.
Giulia has been out with an undisclosed injury, which is the reported reason why the timetable for the Vaquer vs Giulia match seemed so quick. Many expected that program to be a slow burn, but after the reported injury, a Title vs Title match happened and it was Vaquer who ended up with both Championships.
Giulia would step away from in-ring action for a bit but then recently returned to the ring during some live events, and now she’s back to reclaim the NXT Women’s Championship from her former friend. What seems most likely to happen at this point is some sort of Triple Threat match at Stand & Deliver, though it’s not clear if that would feature Vaquer, Giulia, and Grace or Vaquer, Giulia, and Parker. This could also be a Fatal 4-Way and involve all four of them, but only time will tell.
What did you think of Giulia’s return and what would you like to see happen at Stand & Deliver? Let us know in the comments and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
