The NXT women's division will be on full display at TakeOver: In Your House as nine women grace the card across two matches.
In one of the main events, Charlotte Flair will defend the NXT Women's Championship against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match. Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Triple H discussed the importance of the NXT Women's Title and the division as a whole.
“The NXT women’s title is one of the most meaningful ones in the business,” he said. “That is a testament to all the women who played a role in that. The women in NXT, they’ve got something to prove. They’re really going out of their way to make a name for themselves. NXT is the place where people come when they have something to prove. That’s been embedded in the women’s division since its creation. The floodgates opened with Charlotte, Becky, Sasha, Bayley, Paige and that entire crew, they took it to another level. Ever since, it’s moved up the line. There was a period of time a few years ago when those women all got called up to Raw and SmackDown, and it started over. The women in NXT have been hell bent on proving they belong.”
He continued, "This isn’t to negate the effort from our men because the guys work hard, but more often than not in the past few months at the Performance Center, the people I would see grinding, whether it was in the gym or the ring, were the women. I don’t mean sometimes, I mean always. The way the women work in NXT, it’s awe-inspiring to me. That work ethic, that desire to take it to a whole other level, they have something more to prove. There are big shoes to follow, so there is even more to prove now.”
The other women's bout at TakeOver: In Your House will feature Tegan Nox teaming with Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim to take on Candice LeRae, Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai.
Triple H's partner in crime Shawn Michaels gave his thoughts on where the division stands as well.
“There are no definites in this business, but I’d argue it’s pretty close,” said Michaels. “The women of the past helped develop this division, and it still operates at the highest level. I can still remember visiting NXT before I was working in the Performance Center, and I watched Sasha and Charlotte. I can remember watching a match and thinking, ‘My goodness, these two are incredible. If I were going to Monday Night Raw, I would want to steal all of that.’ I was just so impressed by what they were doing in the ring.”
You can check out the full card for NXT TakeOver: In Your House by clicking here.
Fightful will have live coverage of NXT TakeOver beginning at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday.
