10 NXT TakeOver: Portland Impulse Reactions
4. Charlotte Flair Makes It Official
Though WWE could have kept her involvement in the NXT Championship a secret in hindsight, an expected appearance at TakeOver: Portland wasn't damaged by the lack of a surprise factor.
'The Queen' looked like a f*cking world beater and a piece of sh*t in confirming that she'd be taking on Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, with her appearance on the show received as a invasion by the furious locals. It was rather appropriate that Charlotte Flair used the Natural Selection as a throwback - the violent throw forward left the Champion decimated just as it had when her new Challenger used to preside over the brand six years ago.
It was a piece of p*ss for her to look dominant as both Ripley and Bianca Belair sold exhaustion from their battle, but her assault on 'The EST' gave rise to new hope that the eventual climax will be a triple threat. Belair refused to be marginalised by the pair in the build-up, just as she refused to be viewed as a paper challenger here. If this was her write-out of the tale (and potentially NXT as a whole), it'll feel rather hollow regardless of how well it set the table for Flair and Ripley's eventual showdown.