The NXT Women’s Speed Championship has been officially vacated. During this week’s episode of WWE NXT on The CW Network, Sol Ruca confirmed that she would be relinquishing her title after being unable to gain medical clearance to compete.
Ruca, who has been sidelined in recent weeks, appeared in a backstage segment alongside her tag team partner ZARIA and NXT General Manager Ava. The scene followed the aftermath of Halloween Havoc, where ZARIA had stepped in to defend Ruca’s NXT Women’s North American Championship against Blake Monroe at the pay-per-view event. Monroe went on to defeat ZARIA to capture the title.
During the backstage conversation, Ava presented Ruca with an option similar to what had been done with the North American Title — allowing a partner to defend the championship on her behalf. However, after a moment of deliberation, Ruca made the difficult decision to surrender the Women’s Speed Championship instead of delegating her defense.
ZARIA appeared visibly frustrated by Ruca’s choice and stormed out of the office, leaving Ava and Ruca to finalize the relinquishment. Ava then confirmed that a tournament will begin on the November 4th episode of NXT to determine the next NXT Women’s Speed Champion.
Shortly before the segment aired, Ruca took to her Instagram Stories to update fans on her recovery. The popular high-flyer revealed that she’s hoping to be cleared in time for NXT Deadline on December 6th — an event she remains featured in promotional materials for.