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When Zoey Stark won the Women's Battle Royal on NXT to become the next challenger for Mandy Rose's Women's Championship, it felt like a big deal.
After suffering a torn MCL in a backstage brawl with Toxic Attraction's Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne, Stark has been out of action for the better part of nine months, and her return, both in the Battle Royal and to the title picture, felt like an ideal way to get her back into he title picture, especially since her former tag team partner, Io Shirai, is basically gone from the company.
Would Stark be the woman who finally takes the title off of Toxic Attraction's leader, Mandy Rose, and finally end the trio's tenure atop the card? Or would she effectively serve as the setup person who softens the champ up for Nikkita Lyons as she ascends to her rightful spot as the top young talent on the formerly black and gold brand?
Well, whatever the plan was a week ago feels rather insignificant now, as with Triple H not only back in power atop the NXT brand but the new creative mastermind of the entire WWE Universe, it doesn't particularly matter; with the pipeline from one brand to another officially connected and the same man in charge picking out the groceries and the cooking the meal (more on that here), the prospect of keeping Rose atop the card has lost significant meaning, especially with younger performers ready to establish their own legacy.
Could Zoey Stark be the woman who prevents Mandy Rose from extending her championship reign into the 300-day range? Only time will tell, but it's clear her chances just went up.
One way or another, Mandy Rose's run is about to end in NXT.
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On a Monday appearance on After The Bell, Mindy Rose delivered the following quote about her desire to return to the main roster, as dictated Aidan Gibbons of Cultaholic.
“100%. I am definitely enjoying my time in NXT, but at the end of the day, of course, I want to be back on Raw and SmackDown and I think I will be and I think people better show some respect and show what I've accomplished at this point. And whether it's defending my NXT Women's Title or whether I'm back up there trying to get the Raw Women's Championship or the SmackDown Women's Championship.”
Huh, interesting stuff.
Obviously, no one should be more appreciative of their time in NXT than Rose; she went from being a lowercard performer looking for a spot after her breakups with Sonya DeVille and Otis to securing her first championship gold in any promotion, WWE-owned or not, on the black and gold brand. Still, after her initial staycation in Orlando extended to well over half of a year, it's understandable to want to return to the “big shows” in the hopes of getting a few more championship wins on her belt.
If that's the case, why not begin the march towards Rose's elevation to the main roster and get the show back on the road in more ways than one? Why not do something like a loser leaves the brand match – Rose is already 1-0 in such a match with her win over DeVille – and put someone else in her place? Well, with Triple H back in charge of NXT, in addition to RAW and SmackDown, that may be in the plans in the not-too-distant future.
