NXT Talent Wins Championship From WWE SmackDown Star

WWE

An NXT star has won their first WWE championship, defeating a main roster name for the gold.

As is now tradition for pre-PLE WWE Speed episodes, this week’s show featured a notable championship match.

On the April 16 show, Candice LeRae defended her WWE Women’s Speed Championship against #1 contender’s tournament winner Sol Ruca.

The NXT star was ultimately victorious, dropping the SmackDown star with her viral Sol Snatcher finisher.

You can watch the full match at this link.

This marked Sol Ruca’s first title win, not just in WWE, but in pro-wrestling as a whole.

She is now the second WWE Women’s Speed Champion, with LeRae reigning as the inaugural champion for 189 days.

Triple H has now commented on Sol Ruca’s title win, tweeting:

An incredibly talented Superstar now has her first championship in @WWE. Congratulations @SolRucaWWE.

Sol Ruca has been wrestling on the NXT TV brand since September 2022, after making her pro-wrestling debut that June.

She had signed with WWE in March 2022 with no prior wrestling experience, but has been able to pick up wrestling quickly due to her gymnastics background.

Sol Ruca previously revealed the origins of her crazy finisher, which you can read more about right here.

An incredibly talented Superstar now has her first championship in @WWE. Congratulations @SolRucaWWE. pic.twitter.com/2fCW6D4RCa

— Triple H (@TripleH) April 16, 2025