All Elite Wrestling’s Willow Nightingale emerged victorious from this weekend’s New Japan Pro Wrestling’s US-based Strong event Resurgence to become the first-ever NJPW Strong Women’s Champion.
However, the title victory was marred by an injury in the title decision match by former WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, who now competes as Mercedes Monet. PWInsider is reporting that Monet, the former IWGP Women’s Champion for NJPW, suffered a broken ankle. Monet may have suffered the injury doing a spot jumping down from the turnbuckle to the floor. Nightingale won the title match with a Sit-Out Powerbomb but it is currently unknown if that was the original plan for her to win the match if Monet had not been injured.
Nightingale won a one-night, four-women tournament after first beating Stardom’s Momo Kohgo in the first round/semi finals, while Monet defeated CMLL Luchadora Stephanie Vaquer.
The NJPW Strong Women’s Championship was announced shortly after Stardom’s Mayu Iwatani captured the IWGP Women’s Championship in a match with Monet. Amid rumours, according to WON, that Iwatani had tried to ‘renegotiate’ her contract because she would be taking US dates as Champion. Stardom currently has booking control over the IWGP Women’s Title, despite it being a NJPW belt, but there is no such creative control over this new NJPW Strong title.
Congratulations to Nightingale for the championship win! We look forward to seeing what’s in store for the title and the first defence of it.