NXT went off the air in 2019 (well, if you don't include the two patchwork episodes we've had in between) with Rhea Ripley standing atop the women's division. The brand's most valuable asset is the depth of talent is has amongst its female roster and, after what felt like an eternity of it all orbiting around Shayna Baszler, it's now time for a new dawn.
Over the course of our opening segment, we had Toni Storm, Io Shirai, Bianca Belair and Candice LeRae all make advances on the gold, with Kay Lee Ray also there to remind Storm that her priorities should lie elsewhere. Who will be Ripley's first proper title defence at Takeover is, currently, anybody's guess but it almost feels like there aren't any bad options.
The Candice story is a great one to tell, Belair has already proved she can deliver on the big stage but, in Io Shirai, there's an all-time classic waiting to happen. If 2020 is anything like 2019, we're in for a treat...
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
