This past week Jordynne Grace made her NXT PLE debut at NXT Deadline where she faced off against NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. It was her second time crossing through the “forbidden portal” as she calls it, as her first was at the Royal Rumble in January. Reports surfaced that WWE and TNA may continue their working relationship with an expected WWE presence on TNA programming.ย
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With Against All Odds so soon after the WWE PLE and Grace calling for an open challenge, it seemed highly likely that some shenanigans would take place. This happened to be the case when NXT’s Tatum Paxley came to try to capture the title like she did just one week prior. She teased the champion on social media with a photo of herself and the Knockouts belt, writing, “Uhhย @JordynneGraceย can I have this back?”
At Deadline, Tatum Paxley interfered in the title match, snagging the Knockouts World Championship and trying to run away with it, calling it “her” title. Ash By Elegance (formerly WWE’s Dana Brooke) was quick to take it from her, as Grace and Ash have been building to a title match. Grace clotheslined the both of them and lost that match, but heading into Against All Odds, she had all the momentum.ย
As expected, Ash was ringside for the match as a spectator and Paxley held nothing back in her TNA debut. She has only been wrestling for a few short years and all of those have been inside of the WWE bubble so she’s never had a chance to have the independent wrestler experience. Although Grace expectantly dominated the match, Paxley was able to get some offense in with Daffney’s Lobotomy off the top rope.
Paxley had the champion in trouble with a guillotine submission hold on the mat, but Grace powered through into the Juggernaut Jackhammer to put Paxley away, but she was only able to get barely a two count with it. While Grace is distracted by Ash, Paxley rolls under the ring where she lies in wait to pull the champion with her. She lands the Juggernaut Driver for the win.
With WWE clearly high on Grace as they have been in the past, it will likely not be the last time fans see her cross the line, especially with several WWE female superstars — including Chelsea Green and Natalya — vying for a match against her.
