10 NXT TakeOver: Portland Impulse Reactions
5. Rhea Ripley (c) Vs. Bianca Belair
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair fought wars on two fronts at TakeOver: Portland.
The first was the advertised scuffle for the NXT Championship. 'The EST of NXT' fronted to Ripley with magnificent malice, outmuscling the one woman that proved herself capable of dethroning Shayna Baszler in an unexpected payoff to Belair's rivalry with the 'Queen Of Spades' last year. Commentators made note of it - the Challenger had learned lessons from her harsh treatment 12 months ago and was ready to kick the f*ck out of her opponent as well as anybody that doubted her place in the match.
This angle mattered, and helped the pair of them stave off the major worry of burnout occuring during their gripping clash.
A potential WrestleMania match for Ripley had unfortunately left the result of the match in little doubt before the bell rang, but Belair's confidence (and how f*cking fantastic was that entrance robe, by the way?!) hauled the whole thing into unpredictable territory before the Champion pulled through in an unexpectedly gutsy babyface showing.
Objectives achieved against the odds. It was the story of this story from the beginning, if only to help get to the next chapter...