AEW’s Willow Nightingale is your inaugural NJPW Strong Women’s Champion.
Tonight’s NJPW Resurgence pay-per-view featured a one-night tournament for the new title. The first round saw Nightingale defeat Momo Kohgo to advance, while Mercedes Moné defeated CMLL’s Stephanie Vaquer to advance.
The tournament finals closed the show with Nightingale pinning Moné to become champion. The match included a spot where Moné suffered an apparent leg injury while jumping from the top rope to the floor with a clothesline. Moné seemed unable to put any weight on her leg after this spot.
After an aggressive back & forth at the end of the match, Nightingale fought out of a Crossface submission, and then hit a stiff powerbomb. The bout continued around sixty seconds after the apparent injury. Moné did not kick out out of the second powerbomb, but the referee stopped counting the pin at 2. Moné seemed legitimately hurt at this point, but the match continued, until Nightingale hit a second powerbomb to win the title in one of the biggest NJPW upsets in recent memory. Moné was helped away from the ring after the match. Nightingale closed the show with an emotional promo, thanking everyone, including the fans and Moné. She promised that this is just the beginning for her.
Moné took to Twitter after the show and promised to come back better than ever.
“WRESTLING!!!! Phew [face exhaling emoji] not how I dreamed for tonight to go. I’m so sorry and I love you guys so much. I’m gonna heal and be back better than ever. Moné [blue heart emoji] @njpwglobal,” she wrote.
Below are related shots from tonight’s NJPW Resurgence main event from the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, California, along with the full tweet from Moné:
MONEMAKEEEEEER #njresurgence pic.twitter.com/es2OVStmvg
— Sebas セバスチャン (@EliteSebas09) May 22, 2023
Mercedes Mone is fucking main eventing a NJPW PPV in 2023. This is amazing, her gear is amazing, and I am fucking ready. #TheCEO #njresurgence #njpw pic.twitter.com/73lkM2pLxr
— FAR (@FAR5222) May 22, 2023
Willow Nightingale & Mercedes Moné got a standing ovation before the match started.
What a moment. #njresurgence pic.twitter.com/ClvSW3wlS4
— Pro Wrestling Finesse (@ProWFinesse) May 22, 2023
https://t.co/iMp7ncqFM1 pic.twitter.com/tZcAsRCoea
— Willow Nightingale (@willowwrestles) May 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1660497684682137600
.@willowwrestles "Avalanche Brainbuster"
Live on #njpwworld PPV! ⇒https://t.co/1jAfO5ZEUs…#NJPW #njResurgence #njpwworld pic.twitter.com/iWM2C2fWq7
— njpwworld (@njpwworld) May 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/njpwworld/status/1660497380871946241
Willow Nightingale has done it. She has defeated Mercedes Mone to become the 1st NJPW Women’s Strong Champion at tonight’s NJPW Resurgence (05.21.2023)pic.twitter.com/NJsyKZmcTa
— Dark Puroresu Flowsion (@PuroresuFlow) May 22, 2023
WILLOW WON!! #njresurgence pic.twitter.com/n63V5kelke
— Sebas セバスチャン (@EliteSebas09) May 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/THENEXTBlGTHlNG/status/1660488950727983104
@willowwrestles wins! OMG! pic.twitter.com/TUxLDdMfnq
— Eric Denton (@JabronieRamone) May 22, 2023
@willowwrestles sends us all home happy #njresurgence pic.twitter.com/oNUksbf6Ts
— Eric Denton (@JabronieRamone) May 22, 2023
https://twitter.com/MercedesVarnado/status/1660509287335211009
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