Botched Finish Leads To Unplanned Title Change In Wild, Confusing Moment During 12/16 WWE NXT

A surprising title change on WWE NXT reportedly wasn’t supposed to happen.

Thea Hail emerged as the new NXT Women’s North American Champion on Tuesday’s episode, but according to Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline.com, the switch was not planned and only occurred due to a botched finish.

The decisive moment came when Hail connected with a springboard senton off the middle rope on Blake Monroe and immediately went for the cover.

The referee counted to three, even though Monroe appeared to get her shoulder up just after the final count.

Confusion followed almost immediately.

Monroe’s music briefly played before being cut off, at which point Hail’s music hit and she was announced as the winner.

When the show returned from a commercial break, NXT aired a replay of the finish, with the commentary team emphasizing that Monroe did not get her shoulder up until after the three-count.

Not how anyone drew it up.

But it’s how it played out.

Live. With the world watching.

Monroe’s reign ends at 51 days. She originally won the Women’s North American Championship at NXT Halloween Havoc, defeating Zaria. Zaria had stepped in as a substitute for Sol Ruca, who was written out of the scheduled title match due to a storyline injury.

The title match itself stemmed from events on last week’s NXT.

Monroe had announced an open challenge for the championship, prompting several members of the roster to head to the ring.

Before anything could officially begin, Hail attacked Monroe from behind and locked in a kimura, forcing her to tap out.

However, the bell never rang, allowing Monroe to escape with her championship intact at the time.

Later in that episode, NXT General Manager Ava made the title match official for this week, a decision that ultimately led to a controversial and unexpected title change this evening.

For those interested, you can check out our complete WWE NXT Results 12/16/25 here at WrestlingHeadlines.com.

OMG 😱😱😱

THEA HAIL IS THE NEW NXT WOMEN’S NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION!!! pic.twitter.com/ei9sgjyZAa

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) December 17, 2025

A SHOCKER!! 🤯

THEA HAIL IS THE NEW WOMEN’S NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPION!!! pic.twitter.com/NWdYr54O8M

— WWE (@WWE) December 17, 2025

“I did it.”

You’re a champ now, @theahail_wwe! 🥹 pic.twitter.com/U9ArcqpuPI

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) December 17, 2025

Believed in herself, and the world rewarded her! 🙌@theahail_wwe is the new Women’s North American Champion, and it could possibly be the worst day of @BlakeMonroeWWE‘s life…@JordynneGrace pic.twitter.com/d5LSlbmqKW

— WWE (@WWE) December 17, 2025