Following Indi Hartwell relinquishing her NXT Women’s Championship last week, a new women’s champion needs to be crowned. And the winner will be decided via a tournament.
After suffering an injury and being called up to the main roster, Indi Hartwell had to vacate her title last week on WWE NXT. It was later announced that a new NXT Women’s Champion would be crowned via a tournament. And after last night, WWE posted the updated bracket of the tournament.
Superstars like former champion Roxanne Perez, Gigi Dolin, Tiffany Stratton, Jacy Jayne, Kiana James, Lyra Valkyria, Fallon Henley and Cora Jade. And on this week’s NXT, two of the eight women made their way to the second round of the tournament.
In the first qualifier match, Tiffany Stratton defeated Gigi Dolin and Lyra Valkyria defeated Kiana James to move on to the second stage. The rest of the matches will take place next week on NXT. A new champion will be crowned after the final round of the tournament at WWE NXT Battleground on 28th May.
It should also be noted that out of all the eight competitors, only two have been past champions. Roxanne Perez was a former NXT Women’s Champion. She had to vacate her title after suffering a concussion. Jacy Jayne held the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles alongside her current rival, Gigi Dolin, who has been eliminated in the first round. Jayne is one of the creative favorites and has the highest chances of progressing further in the tournament.
While the former champion Roxanne Perez is also a favorite to win the tournament, it remains to be seen if she can recapture the title she never lost.
What happened to Indi Hartwell?
It turns out that being called up to the main roster wasn’t the only reason for her vacating her title. In her match with Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton at WWE NXT Spring Breakin’, she suffered an ankle injury while performing a dangerous stunt.
Although Indi Hartwell won the match in the end, she looked hurt midway. While performing a High-Angle Senton Bomb outside the ring, her ankle bent awkwardly on impact. It was reported that her injury was in fact real, as fans pointed out her leg legitimately looked twisted.
As of now, Indi Hartwell is out of action after vacating her title. Fans wish her the best and hope to see her in action soon.
Read More: WWE announces a dream match on SmackDown as a part of the World Heavyweight Championship tournament
