Friday marked 7 years since the first-ever WWE NXT Women’s Champion was crowned.
The NXT Women’s Title was first introduced by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon on April 5, 2013 at WrestleMania Axxess. An eight-competitor single-elimination tournament was then held with main roster Superstars vs. NXT Superstars. The finals aired on the July 24 NXT episode and saw Paige defeat Emma (Tenille Dashwood) to become the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion.
Paige marked the 7 year milestone on Twitter.
She wrote, “7 years! Ahh. So awesome to face @TenilleDashwood and be the first of many incredible badass women who’ve held the title since. #WWENXT #WeAreNXT”
Paige made a follow-up tweet and thanked Triple H for believing in them and giving them the huge opportunity.
“Got to reminiscing and I just wanna give a big thank you to @TripleH for giving Emma and I the time for a long match and trusting us with the opportunity with such a big match & showcasing what the women can do! The boss believed in us! #WWENXT,” she wrote.
Triple H responded and said they earned every bit of what they got.
“Every bit of it earned. #history #WeAreNXT ALWAYS!!!!,” he wrote back.
Emma also responded to Paige’s comments on the 7 year anniversary and said this was a special time in her life, something she’ll never forget.
“I’ll never forget it! Such a special time in my life! [red heart emoji],” she wrote.
Emma was released from her WWE contract in late October 2017. She’s had runs with ROH and several indie companies since then, and most recently worked with Impact Wrestling earlier this year. Paige was forced to retire in April 2018 after suffering a career-ending neck injury in December 2017 during a WWE live event. The NXT Women’s Title is currently held by Io Shirai.
You can see the related tweets and video below:
7 years. 🖤💛@TenilleDashwood #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/20G8p3pRPz
— PAIGE (@RealPaigeWWE) July 24, 2020
7 years! Ahh. So awesome to face @TenilleDashwood and be the first of many incredible badass women who’ve held the title since. #WWENXT #WeAreNXT https://t.co/4f2ESibc17
— PAIGE (@RealPaigeWWE) July 24, 2020
Every bit of it earned. #history #WeAreNXT ALWAYS!!!! https://t.co/fQGRobQ4cZ
— Triple H (@TripleH) July 25, 2020
I’ll never forget it! Such a special time in my life! ❤️ https://t.co/lkbKwmmKlN
— TENILLE DASHWOOD (@TenilleDashwood) July 25, 2020
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