Heartbreak on NXT: Sol Ruca Vacates Women’s North American Title During Emotional Promo

In a devastating setback for the NXT brand and its fans, Sol Ruca officially relinquished the NXT Women’s North American Championship on the October 21st episode of WWE NXT. The emotional announcement was made during a poignant in-ring segment, confirming the worst fears following the champion's injury suffered just days prior.

Ruca, who had captivated the NXT Universe with her high-flying athleticism and magnetic personality, appeared in the ring with a noticeable limp, supported by a crutch and wearing a heavy knee brace. Visibly emotional and struggling to hold back tears, she was joined by NXT General Manager Ava and her tag team partner, Zaria.

The SmackDown Setback

​The injury that led to this heartbreaking moment occurred last Friday on SmackDown, where Ruca and Zaria challenged Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. Ruca appeared to suffer an impact to her knee during the contest, an area she has struggled with historically.

On Tuesday night, Ruca tearfully confirmed that medical staff had not cleared her to compete. Facing the reality that she could not defend the championship against her scheduled opponent, Blake Monroe, at this Saturday's Halloween Havoc Premium Live Event, Ruca stated that the right thing to do was vacate the title and allow the division to move forward.

​“I fought so hard to win this title, and I promised I would defend it against the best, but right now, I can’t,” Ruca said, her voice cracking with emotion. “I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I promise the NXT Universe, when I do return, I’m going to earn this back.”

​Zaria Steps Up as Monroe Confronts

​The segment took an immediate turn with the arrival of the scheduled challenger, Blake Monroe.

Monroe showed little sympathy, instead demanding that the NXT Women's North American Championship should simply be handed to her, given that Ruca could not compete.

This blatant disrespect prompted an immediate defense from Ruca's partner, Zaria, who fired back at Monroe's opportunistic demands. Following a moment of hesitation from Ruca, who acknowledged the uncertainty of her timeline, Zaria made a powerful, definitive proposal to the NXT GM.

Zaria proposed that, in Ruca's honor, she would step in to take Ruca's place and face Blake Monroe for the now-vacant title at Halloween Havoc. Ruca, smiling through her tears, gave her emotional blessing, telling Zaria there was no one in the world she trusted more.

NXT GM Ava made the match official: Zaria vs. Blake Monroe for the vacant NXT Women's North American Championship at Halloween Havoc. The segment concluded dramatically when a furious Monroe got in Ava's face, only to be promptly spun and dropped with a devastating F5 by Zaria, who stood tall over the challenger with the championship held high.

The NXT Universe now awaits Halloween Havoc to crown a new champion, while the wrestling world sends its well wishes from the AFW COMMUNITY to Sol Ruca for a full and swift recovery.

kimster AFW