Backstage Update On Unhappiness Over Thea Hail/Blake Monroe Accident

Thea Hail's unplanned WWE NXT North American title win from Blake Monroe has caused some unhappiness behind the scenes in the developmental brand, as per reports. 

Hail won her first title in pro wrestling on the December 16 edition of "NXT," where she ended Monroe's first run with the title. Monroe was originally supposed to win the match, as per backstage rumors, but the referee counted to three and crowned Hail the new champion. Now, "Fightful Select" has reported that Monroe — and those in charge of her creative — was reportedly not pleased with how things turned out and has claimed that she was injured before the count. The outlet, though, can't verify the extent of the former AEW star's injury. There's been some criticism of referee Felix Fernandez for counting to three, but the report stated that NXT's top management, including creative head Shawn Michaels and coach Matt Bloom, have praised him for doing things the right way.

The accidental title change came at an inopportune time for WWE and its crew, as they had reportedly filmed a lot of content ahead of the holidays. Most fans, though, are expecting Monroe — who's been pushed quite a bit since debuting in WWE earlier this year — to win back the title in the near future. And that could happen very soon, as it was revealed this past week on "NXT" that Monroe would be getting her rematch against Hail at NXT: New Year's Evil on January 6, 2026, after the former champion confronted the new champ and demanded a rematch. 

So far, WWE has announced two other title matches for New Year's Evil – the WWE NXT Women's Championship match between champion Jacy Jayne and Kendal Grey, and the WWE NXT Championship clash between Oba Femi and Leon Slater.